The Hunter
by MiSSxMELON
Summary: Sequel to The Hunt.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

It had been three and a half months since Harry and Ron had seen Hermione.

The last time they were with her was when the Snatchers had found their camp in the Forest of Dean. The three of them had sprinted into the woods, leaving their tent and other belongings behind. They shot spells behind them as they ran, but they were outnumbered. Sooner or later, the Snatchers were going to catch up, and they had no chance at dueling them. Hermione had urged Harry and Ron to break off in a different direction. The Death Eaters still thought Ron was at home, afflicted with Spattergroit. She therefore had to protect the Weasleys. Ron would have protested more adamantly, except Harry had been wearing the locket. Ron had never wanted to leave Hermione, but he knew his family was at stake. There was little time to decide, so they had simply gone with their contingency plan, which they had come up with a long time ago. That was how Hermione lost her memories.

And Hermione was right. If all three of them had been caught, Voldemort would have discovered that they were hunting his Horcruxes, and the Weasleys would have had to go into hiding. Thanks to her brilliance, they still had a chance at stopping him. Ron's family was safe.

Except it was the old Hermione who had come up with the genius plan. The new Hermione didn't have all of her memories, and she had changed.

Neither Harry nor Ron had believed the news at first. It was preposterous to think that Hermione had joined Voldemort. Her quotes in the Daily Prophet had sounded nothing like her. They were convinced that Hermione was under the Imperius curse. Surely she had endured weeks of torture, though she looked perfectly healthy, since the article surfaced a month after her capture. The picture of her in her Snatcher uniform was undoubtedly doctored.

But then week after week her picture showed up in the Daily Prophet. There was no denying she was participating in the hunts. It was sickening enough seeing the victims, much less Hermione posing in her uniform.

Harry had lost hope first. Ron, on the other hand, was determined to save Hermione, but Malfoy Manor was impenetrable, especially to two teenage wizards. Then, when she started the hunts, he dropped the subject. It was an unspoken taboo to mention Hermione's name. She was gone, and they had to come to terms with it.

Before their fateful run-in with the Snatchers, Ron had been teetering on the edge, close to abandoning Harry, Hermione and Dumbledore's cause. One part of it was having to wear the locket. Voldemort's soul, even just one seventh of it, was poisonous. The other part was living without the luxuries. Ron was used to his mother cooking for him or having his food set out by house elves at Hogwarts. In the wilderness it was harder to scrape food. Some nights they ate a measly bowl of mushrooms and leaves.

Once it was just the two of them, though, Ron assumed Hermione's role. He became the responsible one. He even adopted Hermione's positive attitude. It was strange for Harry to watch Ron plan out their days and take care of their belongings, but he welcomed the change.

After about a month of this, Harry and Ron decided to visit Godric's Hollow. After all, they were nowhere close to destroying the locket. Nor did they have any new leads.

The visit, in short, had been disastrous. Harry had been able to visit his parents' grave, but shortly after he and Ron were discovered by Bathilda Bagshot. Except it wasn't really the author of a History of Magic. Turns out Nagini had killed and possessed Bagshot. After luring Harry upstairs, Nagini had attacked Harry. He and Ron had barely escaped with their lives.

Not only had they nearly been caught by Voldemort, but Harry's wand had been destroyed in the process. He still had the two halves, but it was utterly useless.

Since then, he and Ron had been sharing Ron's wand. After one day of sullenness, Ron had somehow adopted an even jollier mood, probably in an attempt to cheer Harry up. He appreciated the gesture, but Harry was demoralized. His wand, which had saved him from Voldemort numerous times, and all of its own accord, was gone. How was Harry supposed to defeat Voldemort without his wand? All they had was the stupid, bloody locket, but they had no way of destroying it. That and the loss of Hermione was too much to bear.

"I'll take watch," Harry opened the flap of the tent.

He rubbed his arms. It was cold out.

"You sure mate?" Ron asked. He surveyed Harry, assessing his physical and mental state.

Harry could tell what Ron was doing, and it annoyed him. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself.

"Yeah, I'd like a fresh breath of air," Harry nodded. "Besides, you should really rest up."

Ron had dark circles under his eyes. Since Godric's Hollow, he had insisted on taking more shifts. It was as if he was punishing himself for accidentally destroying Harry's wand. Harry had told him many times that it wasn't his fault, the Curse had just rebounded. But Ron was as stubborn as a Hippogriff.

"Sure," Ron replied, handing Harry his wand. He hesitated, and then pulled the Deluminator out of his pocket. "Here, take this, too. It's dark out and it helps with the cold. Not to mention the boredom."

"Thanks mate," Harry took the Deluminator. It was Ron's prized possession, and this was yet another attempt to improve Harry's mood. It would be selfish to deny Ron. "Cheers."

"Cheers," Ron said before going into the tent.

Harry sat on the ground and stared at his surroundings glumly. Despite everything that had trespassed, he missed Hermione terribly. He and Ron were best mates, but Hermione had always balanced them out. Besides, she would have an idea of where to go next. She was the smart one.

After poking at the dirt with a stick, Harry began playing with the Deluminator. Ron had an annoying habit of flicking it on and off. It drove Harry crazy, but he never said anything about it. Ron's change motivated Harry to improve for the better, too. There was much less snappiness between the two of them, despite their current predicament.

Now Harry could see what was so addicting about playing with the Deluminator. The rhythm felt nice. It gave him something to do, and it calmed his mind. Invariably, Harry's thoughts trailed to Hermione. He wondered what she was doing at this exact moment. It was hard to think that someone like her was capable of cold murder. But the pictures he had seen…

No, it wouldn't do to think about her like that. Instead, Harry began reminiscing about the Hermione he knew. He thought about the time they used the Time Turner to save Buckbeak and Sirius. All the old memories started to surface, and Harry's eyes moistened.

The Deluminator began to emit a light.

Curious, Harry stood up and wiped his eyes. What was happening? The ball of light started to move away from him, towards the forest. Harry hesitated, unsure if he should get Ron. Maybe he knew what was going on with the Deluminator. Ron seemed to be in a protective mood as of late, though, so Harry thought better of it. What if Ron decided not to let Harry go after the light because it wasn't safe? Harry would investigate the light himself.

He stumbled into the forest, using his hands to push back the branches that scraped against his skin. He shivered. It was cold and dark, except for the light he followed. His feet crushed twigs and snow as he made his way deeper into the woods. Still, the light continued to lead him. After a couple minutes of silence, Harry questioned his decision to follow this light. He had recently been fooled by a possessed Bathilda Bagshot. What if this was another trap? But something told Harry it was benign.

And then the light stopped. Harry caught up to it and came upon a frozen lake. It was the end of the trail. The light disappeared.

Cursing, Harry was about to turn around and head back, when a metallic glint caught his eye. He walked cautiously to middle of the lake to investigate the source.

Lo and behold, beneath the ice lied a sword. Harry bent down to get a closer look.

It was the sword of Gryffindor.

Harry turned his head left and right. He was suspicious and rightfully so. The sword was just what he needed to destroy the Horcrux, and it happened to be in a lake next to his camp. Who had left the sword in this lake? How did the Deluminator know to lead him here? But there was no one to be seen and no answers to be found.

There was one thing Harry did know, though. In order to retrieve the sword, he had to commit a courageous act. Unfortunately, or fortunately, there was no basilisk around to kill. So, ignoring his basic survival instinct, Harry stripped down to his boxers. It was the only peril he could think of. However, he didn't think to take off the locket.

"Diffindo," Harry whispered.

The ice above the sword cracked. Harry took in a deep breath and then, holding it, jumped into the lake.

The water was so cold it was almost paralyzing. It felt like knives were piercing his body. Harry could barely think. Swimming downwards, all he could do was reach out his arm for the sword. It was in grabbing distance.

For one sweet moment, Harry thought his plan would work. And then he started to choke.

The locket thrashed, yanking him from side to side under the water. It was cutting off his air. Harry drew his arm back, pulling at the chain in vain. His throat was burning in pain. Harry fought against the locket, while trying to resurface for air, but to no avail. The locket was in control now, and it was drowning him.

Harry opened his mouth to yell, only to have the freezing water fill up his lungs. Bubbles, not sound, came out of his mouth. Unlike him, they rose to the surface.

After a minute, everything went black.


	2. Life in a Glasshouse

A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for leaving you with that cliffhanger. We'll get to that point soon enough, but let's first catch up with Hermione and her gang! R&R :-)

* * *

><p>"We need supplies. And information," Hermione said, pacing around her living room.<p>

Her audience, however, was not paying attention.

The Joker was busy looking at Hermione's family photos. He seemed genuinely interested in Hermione's life, though she didn't understand why. She was a muggle-born, so most items in her house were normal. There was the occasional picture that moved, though, and that entertained the Joker to no end. He squinted as he observed the picture keenly, watching for it to loop and start over again.

Scabior, on the other hand, was lying on the couch with one leg over the other and his arms crossed behind his head. It would have been a suave look, except his mouth was open and he had a bit of drool on the corner of his mouth. Needless to say, Scabior had not enjoyed the long plane ride and was running low on sleep. He was now catching up.

Hermione sighed. At least they had managed to perform the Fidelius charm before Scabior had quite unceremoniously fallen asleep on her couch. Hermione was, of course, their Secret Keeper.

It had been Hermione's idea to stay at her house. She was no longer considered a threat, so no one would be watching for her or her parents. But Hermione had other reasons for going back. She yearned more than anything to go home.

Hermione had to restrain herself from running upstairs to her bedroom. She wanted to save the nostalgia and the tears for when she was alone. Right now, she was focused on coming up with a plan with her new allies before they settled in. It was a strange image, the Joker by the mantelpiece and Scabior sprawled out on her couch.

"Hello? Supplies?" Hermione said loudly.

Scabior jerked awake, and the Joker rolled his eyes, turning his head towards her.

"I already _have_ all my supplies," the Joker said.

Hermione hadn't forgotten that.

She was the one who had Imperiused the poor TSA agent checking their bags. Scabior was amused by the fact that muggles were so heavily controlled by their government, especially when doing simple tasks like traveling. Hermione didn't bother mentioning that the Ministry of Magic had turned into a police state - not that he would understand the muggle euphemism. Though Scabior had been initially impressed by the concept of a plane, not that he would have admitted it, he soon began to loathe the inefficiency of flying when compared to magical methods. It took so long, and even first class was too cramped for him. Hermione had told him to quit whining. They couldn't Apparate that far, and Portkeys and Floo were out of the question because they were controlled by the Ministry. Scabior had scowled at that last comment, realizing that the United States muggle government wasn't so different from theirs after all.

"I meant other supplies," Hermione replied. "Like potions. Scabior, we need some Polyjuice Potion. And Essence of Dittany."

The Joker cocked his head to the side.

"One allows you to take the appearance of someone else," Hermione explained. "And the other is a restorative that heals wounds rapidly."

"Hmm," the Joker murmured, taking mental notes. He imagined how the two would work. It would be interesting, indeed, to explore a Wizarding store.

"We'll make a trip to Knockturn Alley tomorrow," Scabior yawned.

"Diagon Alley," Hermione corrected him. "Now onto getting information. How are you going to explain why the rest of your crew is missing?"

The Joker grinned at that and pointed to himself. Scabior sat up and shot a glare at him.

"I'll tell them they took the night off to have some fun," Scabior shrugged.

"Okay, but you're going to have to take both of us to camp," Hermione said nervously.

"I'll tell the other Snatchers he's a new recruit," Scabior replied. "But sooner or later they're going to figure out my men are missing. I don't know how long I'll be able to spy."

"I thought I killed the rest of you guys," the Joker interrupted.

Scabior glowered at him. He obviously wasn't about to address the Joker, so Hermione clarified for him.

"The other Snatchers catch real runaways," Hermione explained. "They're not in the hunt."

The Joker looked thoughtful. He didn't realize there was a Snatcher headquarters, so to speak. He would have to covertly plant some bombs there. Maybe Hermione could help him disguise them. There could be a time when they would come in handy, but the Joker was going to have to choose his battles carefully. After all, he didn't want to _blow_ anything out of proportion.

"How are we supposed to go with you tomorrow?" Hermione asked Scabior. "He's a muggle, and I'm obviously not allowed to be walking freely on my own."

"Well of course I know that," Scabior drawled. "But not everyone else does. To them, you're a Snatcher, like me. Only the Dark Lord and my crew know that you're not. If he was going around tellin' everyone your secret, no one would believe it."

"Looks like there's only _two_ people who know your secret then," the Joker laughed.

It was so easy to anger the ex-Head Snatcher. The idiot didn't even realize how much _fun_ it was for the Joker to taunt him. Of course, the Joker really wanted to watch him lose it. Little miss sunshine wouldn't be too happy if he killed the wizard, but if Scabior slipped and broke his promise, or even better, got himself killed…. Well, that couldn't be the Joker's fault!

It took every ounce of Scabior's strength to not Curse the muggle. He knew the Joker was trying to goad him, but he wasn't a bloody Saint. He was going to have to start convincing the girl that she really didn't need the bloke.

"Then this should work," Hermione said. "I'm going to make a list for tomorrow. Scabior - can you go pick up some food?"

"I'm not your bloody house elf," Scabior snapped. The Joker looked at him gleefully.

"Well we haven't any money, and I think it's better the less time you two spend together," Hermione retorted. "And honestly, if you're going to be avoiding _any_ time in Azkaban…"

"Fine," Scabior spat. He got up gruffly and grabbed his jacket. Before he Disapparated, he glared at Hermione. "You better not double cross me, you cheeky witch."

"He's a _real_ charmer," the Joker licked his lips once Scabior was gone.

"Oh don't act like I don't know what you've been up to," Hermione replied.

The Joker stared at her with wide eyes, donning his best surprised, innocent look. He gestured to himself, mouthing "Who, me?"

"I know you're trying to start a row with him," Hermione said sternly. "The poor guy isn't going to be able to take much more of your taunting. You did murder most of his friends, after all."

"And he murdered most of _your_ friends," the Joker reminded her with a look. "Poor guy? He's been doing just _fine_. Or did you forget you were the one he's been tormenting?"

"I forgot how innocent you were," Hermione retorted. "Kidnapping me, what, twice? Let's not forget when you abandoned me in a room full of mobsters, Scabior, a werewolf and a handful of grenades! Plus, you've also threatened to kill me before."

"That wasn't a threat, it was a hypothetical situation," the Joker waved his hand dismissively. Hmm, there had been a werewolf? "Sweetheart, I only left you because I knew you could handle it. And even though I technically kid_napped_ you, you were never hurt."

"I get it," Hermione said. "You've treated me much better than Scabior has, though you both probably have a similar tally when it comes to murder. But it's easier to understand Sabior's motives. He has to behave himself, or else he's going to be spending the rest of his life in prison. What about you? You've come for adventure, but what happens when you're no longer having fun?"

The Joker had debated staying in Gotham, where he had solidified his reputation as the Prince of Crime. Before he met Hermione, that had been his goal - that and his plans with Batman. Now he saw that he would only be a big fish in a small pond. Yes, he was starting from scratch by going with Hermione, but there was so much more potential here. Besides, he could always go back to Gotham and resume his position of power.

"_Ob_-vious-ly the only alternative I would have left would be to kill you," the Joker replied sarcastically.

"That's not what I mean," Hermione shook her head. "I'm afraid that, when the time comes, I can only trust you to do what you want and not what's right. This isn't about me. It's about saving my world."

The Joker rolled his eyes. That certainly wasn't his goal. This girl was hopelessly optimistic.

"Well then, you picked the wrong guy," the Joker said. "I'm not _Batman_. I don't _save_ people, not intentionally anyway. I create chaos."

"And all I'm asking is for you to create chaos for the other side," Hermione said. She had feared that would be his answer.

Oh, that he _could_ do. The Joker took a few steps towards her, closing the gap between them. He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.

"Don't worry about that," he winked. "I'm a man of my word."

But Hermione knew that wouldn't keep him from making other promises.

* * *

><p>Hermione opened the door to her room cautiously, almost afraid of what she would find inside.<p>

Her room was exactly how she had remembered it. There was her bed, neatly made, with her collection of stuffed animals. It seemed childish to her now. Her desk was in the corner of the room, letters and parchment still strewn across it.

She walked to her closet and ran her fingers through some of her old clothing. She was surprised to still find some of her clothes. Not everything was there, which meant that Hermione must have taken some with her before she had been caught. It also meant that, though the Death Eaters had undoubtedly given her house a cursory search, they had left everything intact. She supposed burning her home down would have insinuated that Hermione was still an enemy of the state.

Hermione picked out one of her favorite jumpers and changed into jeans and a T-shirt. She wanted more than anything to burn her uniform, but she would need it for tomorrow. For the moment, though, she could dress in her familiar clothes. She felt like her former self again. She packed some additional clothes in her bag. There was always the chance that she would need a change of clothes, especially if they ended up in the woods.

Hermione walked into her bathroom, which was also just how she'd left it. She suddenly had the urge to shower. Though the guest bathroom in Bruce's apartment had been magnificent, nothing beat her own house. Hermione turned on the shower, remembering that it took several minutes for the water to heat up. It felt strange undressing herself in her bathroom, as if that had been an entirely different lifetime.

The hot water felt amazing streaming down her back. Hermione had learned to live without the luxuries, but she had to admit, it was nice having her own toiletries.

After she dried off, she wrapped herself in her towel and walked back into her bedroom. She had changed her mind about wearing jeans. Nothing sounded better to her than wearing a pair of pajamas and sleeping in her bed.

"Well he-_llo_ there," the Joker leered at her.

Hermione yelped and grabbed onto her towel tightly so it wouldn't slip.

"Did you ever learn to knock?" Hermione snapped.

"Did you ever learn to lock your door?" the Joker said lazily.

He was examining one of her old letters. Hermione's cheeks reddened. How dare he intrude on her private life! Hermione hadn't even looked at her desk yet.

"What are you doing with those?" she asked angrily, stomping towards him.

"Reading material while I waited for _you _to get out of the shower," the Joker shrugged. "But do tell, who is this _Viktor_?"

Hermione snatched the letter out of the Joker's hand as he laughed. Her face was visibly red now.

"That's none of your business," Hermione replied hotly.

"Ex-boyfriend?" the Joker prodded. "Hopefully he's not another _Snatcher_."

"Viktor was never my boyfriend," Hermione said. "And no, he's not a Snatcher. He's a Seeker for the Bulgarian National Quidditch team."

"A…_what?_" the Joker asked.

He stared at Hermione as if she'd lost her marbles. As of late, she'd been speaking Greek to him. That partially bothered him, only because it made him feel foreign. Before, Hermione had been the stranger. Not that he hadn't felt out of the norm in Gotham. But at least he had understood, well, everything there was to understand - the culture and the - ugh - _people_. Here there was so much to learn. It was…fascinating_. _The Joker didn't consider himself a cosmopolitan by any stretch of the imagination. This was different, of course. It had _potential_.

"It's a sport," Hermione said. She didn't want to talk about Quidditch because it reminded her of Harry and Ron. "Anyway, what did you want?"

"A towel?" the Joker wriggled his eyebrows lewdly at Hermione. He laughed at her steel gaze. "Your _boy_ _toy_ brought back sandwiches and chocolate. He also got beer and butter, which is fine if you ask _me_, but then he tried to _mix_ the two. He said something about wanting butter beer, since they didn't have 'fire whiskey.' I wouldn't be surprised if he's already lit your uh liquor cabinet on fire."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at the Joker's story. That was so typical of a wizard, especially one like Scabior. She imagined the look on the grocer's face when he asked for butterbeer and fire whiskey. Hermione doubled over, unable to contain her laughter. What she would have given to see that in person! Though they were strange company, the Joker and Scabior at least provided much needed comic relief. Watching the two struggle with the other world was hilarious. Tears streamed down Hermione's cheeks. Her stomach hurt from all the laughing.

The Joker watched her with amusement. He normally found his more morbid jokes to be humorous. Still, he liked that Hermione was laughing because of him. Well, because of the idiot downstairs, but the Joker had told the story.

"Did you really come upstairs to call me to dinner?" Hermione asked after she finally calmed down enough to speak.

"That and to catch you in the shower," the Joker winked. Hermione made an attempt to glare back at him, but could barely suppress her smile. "It's _boring_ when you're not around. I can only make fun of him so much before I start reusing my old jokes."

"He's certainly not as…fun as you," Hermione said.

"No? You never shared any _laughs_ when he was trying to kill you?" the Joker said. That wiped away any remnants of mirth on Hermione's face. "Tell me, how can you stand to be around someone who _murdered_ your friends?"

The Joker loved pushing anyone's buttons. In this case, however, he asked because he didn't know the answer, and he wanted to know. He had judged her character to be like Batman's. Indeed, she did have a strong sense of morality and self-righteousness. Yet it wasn't the same. It wasn't irritating. It seemed that her morals had truly been twisted along the way, though they could have started off like Batman's. Otherwise how could she work with him? He didn't want to ask that, of course, because… because he didn't want her to think he cared about her opinion. So instead, he asked about Scabior.

"He committed terrible, unspeakable crimes," Hermione said. "But he was a product of his environment, too. He was placed in charge of a gang, and he was given power. That's why he acted the way he did. You saw what happened when you took it all away. He wasn't cruel anymore. Don't you see? He's also capable of good. I've watched so many old classmates, who I thought were decent people, turn into cold murderers because of the environment they were put in. For once, I can see the reverse happening."

The Joker considered Hermione's answer.

So she wanted to turn him into one of the good guys or at least turn him away from his former life. It made sense, and it fit with her morality. Batman wasn't smart enough to divert such so-called "cruelty" elsewhere. Well, he might be able to come up with the idea, but he certainly couldn't abide by it. He was bound by society's _rules_. Hermione, on the other hand, came from a messed up world, so she didn't have an ethical responsibility. Did that mean Hermione wasn't as saintly as Batman? No, she just saw that there was much more potential in trying to change him, instead of simply locking him up in a cell. Batman could never work with the Joker, but Hermione was.

The two weren't mutually exclusive, though. She was both smarter and less ethical. The two usually went hand in hand.

"You've seen him at his _worst_, but I don't think he's capable of anything better," the Joker opened the bedroom door. He licked his lips. "You should be careful with who you play with, little miss sunshine."

Hermione didn't know if he meant Scabior or himself.

* * *

><p>It turns out the sleeping situation had worked itself out. After Hermione had gotten dressed, she went downstairs to grab a bite, only to find Scabior snoring on the couch. This time she didn't wake him up. They could all do with a good night's rest. Hermione had shown the Joker into the guest room shortly thereafter. He had considered inquiring about the master bedroom, just to mess with Hermione, but he, too, was beat.<p>

Finally Hermione had time alone in her room. She grabbed a pile of old letters from the bottom drawer of her desk and collapsed on her bed. For the next hour or so, she read them, allowing old memories to surface of Harry, Ron, Viktor, Ginny - everyone from her past life. She cried at times and laughed at others. Away from Scabior and the Joker, and surrounded by her nostalgia, Hermione finally felt like she was home.

* * *

><p>AN: What do you think of Hermione's interactions with the Joker and Scabior? I tried to make it as realistic as possible. I know I haven't addressed what's happening with Harry yet, but I promise you that will be resolved. Hopefully the timing isn't too confusing. This purpose of this chapter was to better establish the relationship between Hermione and her new allies and to transition them from Gotham to England. And also to give them a break. After all, they've been through quite a lot! The next chapter will have a lot more action. :-) Please review!

Thanks **lilly**!


	3. Prove Yourself

"Take these. In case we get separated," Hermione passed out fake Galleons to Scabior and the Joker.

They were all set up as "master" coins, meaning the owner could send messages through them. Her first prototype had only allowed altering the numbers. These coins could have any kind of lettering, so long as it fit on the coin. The Joker wouldn't be able to deliver messages himself, but at least he would receive them.

The Joker examined the coin curiously as Hermione explained how they were used. It was his first time to see Wizarding currency, though there would undoubtedly be many firsts in the upcoming weeks. It felt more substantial than American money. At the same time, the design was more archaic. It was strange how these wizards and witches were more advanced in what they could do, yet their system seemed traditional, not modern.

"How did you learn about this?" Scabior asked, pocketing his Galleon. He thought that communication method was only used by Snatchers. Did the Malfoy boy learn it from Hermione?

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I originally came up with the idea back at Hogwarts," she said. "I don't know if you've heard of Dumbledore's Army, but it was a group I created back when that terrible Umbridge woman was teaching at Hogwarts. We practiced Defense Against the Dark Arts outside of class, except it was banned, so we used these fake Galleons to coordinate our meetings."

"Quite the rebel," Scabior drawled.

"Hold on - you mean we're using these fake _coins_ to deliver messages?" the Joker said scornfully. "I don't know if you realize this, but we invented something called the cell phone. It can deliver messages, call people - oh, and the fancy ones have something called _GPS_ so you can _lo_-cate people, too."

Scabior was genuinely bemused, as he had no concept of muggle technology besides basic weaponry, though he hid his surprise behind a scowl. If only he had known that before he'd arrived in Gotham. The muggle just had to flaunt it in front of him now. It finally explained how those muggles had been able to communicate so quickly. The Joker had always been one step ahead. Scabior gritted his teeth. What did the damned things look like?

"I know that, but muggle technology doesn't work in the Wizarding world," Hermione explained.

"Well _that's_ unfair," the Joker grumbled. Back to the traditional institution. These guys sure liked to deter technology.

"Yes, and unfortunately you're also going to have to change into these, too," Hermione handed the Joker a black, long-sleeved shirt, black leather jacket, purple skinny pants and strip of red cloth. "Your hair's fine, but you'll have to lose the makeup."

"Paint," the Joker corrected Hermione.

"Do you still have a wand?" Hermione asked, ignoring the Joker's comment.

"Oh I have more than one," the Joker grinned.

He pulled out three wands, which he'd acquired from the Snatchers he had kidnapped and killed. Hermione was grateful for the Joker for yet another reason - now they had extra wands.

Scabior curled his hand into a fist, refusing to look at the Joker. That filthy muggle didn't deserve to hold onto wands he couldn't even use. If only the mudblood didn't care about him. Then Scabior could show him how he'd use that wand.

"At least you got _these _right, " the Joker held up the pants, appraising them approvingly.

He, of course, noticed Scabior's foul mood. Sooner or later he would break. The dumb ones generally did.

The Joker went into the bathroom to change and wash the paint off his face. Hermione had anticipated him putting up more of a fight, but little did she know the Joker regularly went without makeup when he wanted to remain unseen. And he was quite willing to dress down, as it were.

"I don't know why you're bringing him along," Scabior said, once the Joker was gone. He wasn't used to conversing with Hermione yet, so he avoided eye contact. "He's dead weight."

After yesterday, Hermione had a feeling that Scabior would try to convince her to ditch the Joker. Perhaps to the average person it made sense that the two men didn't get along. The Joker did destroy Scabior's life, so to speak, and the Joker naturally held disdain for people like Scabior. But Hermione was willing to put aside her past with Scabior, which was just as awful, if not worse. To her they should be willing to do the same.

"He's actually been quite helpful in getting me out of a tight spot," Hermione replied.

She didn't bother mentioning how Scabior was the reason for all her trouble. He knew full well what she was referencing.

"His tricks will only work once or twice before they learn," Scabior warned her. She knew it was true. "He's not going to blend in. Even with those clothes, he'll look like a freak. It's a mistake to bring him."

"He'll be fine," Hermione said, glaring at Scabior. The Joker was weird, but there were many strange wizards. He would fit in, so long as he kept his mouth shut. "Let's just try this out."

"It's a balance of power, isn't it?" Scabior smirked at Hermione. "You want him to come incase I betray you, and you're keeping me here incase you can't control him."

"I don't think you'll betray me," Hermione said. Unless Voldemort offered Scabior a full pardon. But Hermione didn't want to put any ideas in Scabior's head. Of course, they could already be there. "And in any case, you're wrong. I'm working with the two of you because I haven't any other options."

* * *

><p>"I'm not sure how we're going to get him in," Hermione admitted. Beside her, Scabior snorted.<p>

She, Scabior and the Joker were standing across the street from The Leaky Cauldron. It was the closest entrance to Diagon Alley. For obvious reasons, Floo wasn't possible; Hermione's fireplace wasn't connected to the network, nor did she want it to be. Apparition was possible, but not the best choice, as the Joker would have to use Side-Along Apparition, which would draw attention to him. All wizards Apparated themselves, with the exception of underage wizards. The plan was therefore to enter through the Leaky Cauldron, so it wouldn't be apparent that the Joker was a muggle.

"Get me in where? _There_?" the Joker pointed to the pub. "I thought we were going to some kind of shopping center, but I could do with a drink."

"You can see it?" Hermione asked, surprised.

The Joker squinted at Hermione, not sure if she was being serious.

"I can't do magic, but I'm not blind," the Joker said, drawing out the last word.

"The Leaky Cauldron is supposed to be invisible to muggles," Hermione frowned. Or had that changed?

"Bright as day," the Joker gestured at the Leaky Cauldron. He licked his lips. "I guess _your_ kind needs to work on the security."

"None of the other muggles seem to notice it," Scabior noted.

It was true. A few muggles here and there went into the bookshop to the left of The Leaky Cauldron, while others entered the music shop on the right. But everyone passed by the pub without a second glance. Then how could the Joker see it?

"You sure you're not a Squib?" Hermione asked the Joker. He raised an eyebrow. Obviously he didn't know what that meant. "One or both of your parents could do magic, but you can't."

"My father was many things, but he definitely was _not_ a wizard," the Joker said. That was interesting. So muggle-borns, or as Scabior liked to call them, _mudbloods_, were magical kids with muggle parents. He didn't know that the reverse - muggle kids with magical parents - also existed. Boy how they must feel shafted. "Now are we going to stand here all day or go get ourselves a pint?"

Hermione had heard of magical abilities skipping a generation or two. Maybe that was the Joker's case. Oh well. Him being able to enter The Leaky Cauldron was enough. It helped simplify matters.

When they stepped through the door, Hermione was surprised to see that The Leaky Cauldron was almost entirely empty. Naturally Tom, the barman, was there, cleaning dusty glasses. None of the usual patrons were around though. Nevertheless, Hermione was glad to see a familiar face. In the past, Tom had always greeted Hermione warmly. He started offering her free butterbeer ever since she and Ron had visited Harry the summer before their third year.

This time when Tom took notice of her, though, his eyes narrowed and he turned away. Hermione's smile faltered. Of course Tom heard the rumors. He seemed to believe them, too. He must think the worst of her. It saddened Hermione to know that everyone she knew believed the Ministry's lies. The implications were even more depressing. Did no one truly know her?

Scabior noticed Hermione's downtrodden expression. It gave him a strange feeling in his stomach. In all the hunts, she had been always tough and emotionally strong. Or maybe she had only acted that way in front of him and his gang. In any case, it bothered Scabior to see her like this.

"You don't remember what's changed," Scabior said gruffly. He didn't have any experience in comforting girls, but he couldn't have the mudblood bursting into tears in front of others. "Best prepare yourself. You're going to get more reactions like that, and some will probably be worse. Ignore it and play your part. You're not a part of the bloody Trio anymore."

Hermione nodded. Both Scabior and the Joker were observing her now. She had to cover her emotions.

They walked to the back and out the door into a chilly little courtyard. The Joker still wasn't entirely sure what they were doing at a pub. Hermione and Scabior approached the brick wall, while the Joker hung back and watched them curiously. He was getting impatient. Before he could ask what they were planning on doing, besides staring at a blank wall, Scabior stepped forward and tapped five bricks around a hole in the wall. The other bricks immediately began reorganizing themselves to reveal an archway.

"Well, _well_," the Joker murmured to himself. Buildings came into view, and a cobblestone road lay before them. It felt like he had traveled back in time.

"Right," Hermione said, pulling out her shopping list. "We need…"

"Hold on," Scabior interrupted her. "I don't have much on me. First stop's Gringotts."

Hermione nodded, and Scabior led the way.

Scabior was right. Diagon Alley was nothing like Hermione remembered. Once bustling with people, it was now a hollow, depressing place. Many shops were closed, and there were few people to be seen. A number of homeless people littered the streets. Hermione averted her gaze from them, knowing full well those were probably muggle-borns and half-bloods who couldn't prove their blood status. She would be one of their least favorite people, second to You-Know-Who himself.

Even the Joker could sense the tension in the air. It had been present the moment they had entered the pub. Yes, he had taken note of the barman's reaction to Hermione. They must have once had an amicable relationship. What had changed? Oh right, Scabior had mentioned how everyone believed the 'lies' about Hermione, that she was a Snatcher. She was quite the person of interest. She had easily been the most interesting person in Gotham, but it intrigued the Joker to know that she was special here, too.

The Joker could see how this place had once been a shopping center, but now it was nothing but a ghost town. Literally. Something told him he wouldn't be surprised to actually _see_ a ghost. Now how was he supposed to fit in when there was hardly anyone around...

He walked along side Hermione and Scabior, though he hadn't a clue where Gringotts was. At least he didn't have to ask _what_ Gringotts was. When they arrived, the sign said it all: Gringotts Wizarding Bank. How ironic. He had visited a bank on the first day he'd met Hermione. In fact, he was supposed to rob it. He wondered how easy it would have been to rob _this_ bank. Actually, how could a bank even exist when these people could teleport at a whim and, according to Hermione, take on others' appearances? How was that any basis for a government? Gotham was screwed up as it was, and its people were comparatively normal.

"They'll know," Hermione nudged Scabior. She nodded towards the Joker. It was impossible to fool goblins. They would know he was a muggle.

The Joker was about to ask who 'they' were, but Hermione shook her head. Well, he'd save his questions for later then. Right now he was supposed to be a fellow Snatcher. How _de_-grading.

"They won't want to cross me," Scabior whispered back.

Still, Hermione was nervous. Goblins were not easily intimidated. She tried to play it cool, like the Joker. How was he able to act so calmly when he was surrounded by witches and wizards? Oh right. The Joker could care less about anything, including his own life. That was a reassuring thought.

She was impressed when the Joker's facial expression didn't change at the sight of goblins. Inwardly, he was intrigued. What were they? He should have read up on his mythical creatures. What else would he find? He wondered if these creatures were just like witches and wizards or if they had other abilities. The questions he had for Hermione were building up.

"Key?" a goblin asked Scabior as the three of them approached the counter.

His gaze flickered to Hermione and then lingered on the Joker. He knew.

Hermione began to perspire, positive that this goblin was going to point out that the Joker was a muggle. Muggles were only allowed in Diagon Alley if they were accompanying their muggle-born children. Something told Hermione that wasn't the case anymore. It was a mistake to have brought the Joker along.

The Joker stared back blankly. Boy were they _ugly_. Those long, thing fingers and black eyes made the Joker's scars look like beauty marks. He had to restrain himself from giggling and bashing that dome head in.

Scabior was not paying attention to the tense situation in front of him. Rather, he was listening, with dread, to the heated discussion next to them.

"What do you mean you don't have anymore sphinxes?" Bellatrix shouted at the unlucky goblin before her. "You forget your place, goblin."

"I assure you, Miss Lestrange, that we have taken every precaution possible," the goblin replied. "The dragon provides maximum-"

"You dare try to lie to me? That dragon is old and blind. You had better find a sphinx soon. If anyone is able to break into my vault, you will have the Dark Lord to answer to," Bellatrix snarled. She flicked her wand, cutting the goblin across the cheek. "That's for your disobedience. Consider yourself lucky."

Hermione paled visibly. If any other Death Eater were to know about her true allegiance, it would be Bellatrix, Voldemort's second in command. There was only a slim chance that she didn't know, and that would be because she wasn't the best at keeping her mouth shut. Not only that, Bellatrix was one of the last people she wanted to run into, the very last being Voldemort himself. She was insane, but she was also smart. Hermione wasn't sure she could keep up a facade around her, when the mere sight of the witch brought chills down her spine.

Scabior cursed silently, too. If they were fortunate, she wouldn't have anything nice to say to them. But if she were in one of her more paranoid moods, she'd see right through them. Bellatrix had a keen sense for deception, especially if she noticed anything was off, like that muggle's American accent.

The Joker noticed Hermione and Scabior's reactions, but said nothing. The woman in front of them looked exactly how the Joker would have imagined a witch to look like - long, unkempt, black hair, thin lips and pale skin. She even dressed like one, wearing an all black Gothic-style dress. Except having interacted with Hermione and other wizards, he could tell that she was crazy. He was curious - who was this raging lunatic?

Bellatrix brushed past another wizard and it seemed that she was going to pass by them, too, when she spotted Hermione.

Her dark, heavy-lidded eyes narrowed slowly. She shifted her course and sauntered towards them, twirling a strand of her curly hair. Her other hand held her wand in a threatening manner.

Hermione's heart rate quickened and if there had been any color left in her face, it was surely gone now. Scabior clenched his teeth. The only good sign was that Bellatrix hadn't killed them then and there.

"Well, well, well," Bellatrix breathed, a maniacal grin forming on her face. "What do we have here - a pathetic Snatcher and his mudblood lover."

"Lestrange," Scabior nodded.

Scabior's eyes darted to the goblin, who had yet to reveal that the Joker was really a muggle, though he undoubtedly knew it. Instead, the goblin looked at Bellatrix disdainfully. Hermione realized it was the goblins' way of defying her. All of them loathed her superior attitude and treatment of their colleague.

Relief filled Hermione as she realized Bellatrix thought she was a Snatcher, too. The other rumor was rather disturbing though.

"And who is this?" Bellatrix turned to the Joker.

They stared at each other for a moment. The Joker could sense this woman's sadism and mental instability.

On the other hand, Bellatrix saw nothing strange with the man in front of her. She was used to unsavory characters and in fact embraced them, if they were worthy.

"Napier," the Joker bowed slightly. "Just joined the _team_."

His British accent was slightly exaggerated, but his nasally tone covered it up.

He knew better than to ask who this woman was, besides unhinged. It was apparent that everyone was supposed to already know who she was. She reminded him of himself, except her cruelty was directed towards specific groups of people; she was obviously prejudiced. The Joker, on the other hand, treated everyone the same, except for maybe Hermione, but she was a unique situation. He had a strong desire to cut this woman's face, too, but based on everyone's reactions to her, he pretended to be intimidated. It was difficult. No, it was actually impossible. He settled for indifferent, which, in all honesty, was a reflection of his true feelings.

"You Snatchers multiply every day, spreading like vermin," Bellatrix said with disgust.

Her gaze turned to Hermione.

Hermione stared at the ground. She was ashamed to be terrified by Bellatrix, but she unable to bring herself face to face with the woman who had tortured her on numerous occasions back when she was a prisoner at Malfoy Manor. The Joker noticed her unease and wondered if she was faking it. Scabior, on the other hand, knew what she had been through.

Bellatrix seemed to be reminiscing, too.

"Miss our little meetings?" Bellatrix laughed at Hermione, prodding her with her wand. Her eyes gleamed as she continued to goad her. "Want another taste?"

"Leave her," Scabior said.

He couldn't help himself. He hated how Bellatrix had tortured Hermione.

Hermione was surprised that Scabior was jumping to her defense, but she wanted to smack him for his loud mouth. Bellatrix was known for her short temper. The Joker rolled his eyes at Scabior's attempt to "protect" Hermione. Leave it to the moron to ruin everything.

Bellatrix's head snapped towards Scabior.

"You dare order me around, Snatcher?" Bellatrix hissed. She shoved the tip of her wand in Scabior's neck. "I could kill you right now, and no one would care. You're nobody."

But Scabior remained calm. Hermione was impressed. The Joker would never admit it, though he would say that other, even weaker, men would have broken down in Scabior's shoes.

"Then we shouldn't be worth your time," Scabior said. His visage was passive and his tone cool. Inwardly, though, he wanted nothing more than to Curse the witch.

Bellatrix considered his words, her eyes searching his face for a sign of weakness. All of a sudden, she lost interest in toying with Scabior.

"No, you're not," Bellatrix finally spat. "I didn't realize how much you cared about your mudblood whore. Been spending a lot of quality time together on those hunts? Well, I would watch your mouth if I were you because next time I'll cut out your tongue."

She continued watching Scabior, daring him to speak out of line. He said nothing, his face a stone mask. In her head, Hermione was shouting at him to be quiet.

The Joker seethed at the thought of Hermione belonging to Scabior. What was this woman talking about? His right hand twitched, itching for his switchblade. Oh, how he would love to carve her face.

And then Bellatrix lifted her wand. Hermione nearly sighed. Bellatrix shot a glare at both Hermione and the Joker and started to walk away. When she passed by Hermione, she paused, leaning in. The two men were still within earshot.

"The Dark Lord may have forgiven you for your filthy blood and traitorous past, but I don't believe it," Bellatrix hissed before she walked away.

Hermione stilled. Again, she didn't say a word. Nor did she act like she was affected by Bellatrix's comment because others were surely watching her.

Both Scabior and Hermione visibly relaxed once Bellatrix left. The Joker added the woman to his ever-growing list of questions. She and Hermione had some sort of history, and it wasn't nice.

"I don't have all day," Scabior turned back to the goblin, who had been observing their conversation.

Scabior pulled a small, golden key out of his pocket and slammed it on the counter. The red band around his arm flashed in front of the goblin, reminding him who Scabior was. The goblin stared at the Joker a few seconds longer and then turned back to Scabior.

"Of course," the goblin said. "This way."

The three followed the goblin into a cart. The Joker pretended that was entirely normal.

Except this was unlike any other bank the Joker had ever seen. The cart seemed to move on its own accord, zooming along a long, winding track. They traveled far below into cavernous tunnels, passing a maze of twisting passages.

"Okay, this would _not_ have been easy to rob," the Joker thought to himself. The ride was enjoyable.

Hermione sat next to him, while Scabior was in the front with the goblin. It made sense, since they were visiting Scabior's vault, but really Scabior would have rather jumped off the cart than sit next to the Joker.

With every jerk and turn, Hermione's right arm brushed against the Joker's body. For some reason, she blushed at the contact. She had never realized how tall and fit the Joker was. Though now that she thought about it, he had looked rather dashing at Bruce's fundraiser, too. Wait, what kind of thoughts was she having? He was a psychotic murderer! Okay, so that didn't help Hermione's case, since she did choose to work with him. But that was because of his credentials and definitely not his looks. Which were actually quite good, now that she could see his face. She barely noticed the scars. Great, now Hermione was beet red. She hoped he didn't notice her reaction. Thankfully her bushy hair whipped around her face, obscuring it.

The Joker was too engrossed by his surroundings to notice Hermione's little breakdown. He was, however, aware of their physical closeness, and... he didn't mind. An image of Hermione in the red dress popped in his head. There was no way she could have ever been Scabior's.

Finally the cart came to a stop.

"Vault 637," the goblin said flatly.

The Joker wondered if these goblins were always this emotionless. Would this one scream and beg if the Joker stuck a blade in his mouth? Or would he accept death? He moved and spoke like a depressed robot.

They stepped out of the cart and waited as the goblin opened the door. The vault itself didn't look that novel to the Joker, though it seemed unusual for Scabior to have one all to himself.

Inside the vault were several piles of coins. The Joker was still unfamiliar with Wizarding currency, so he didn't know if Scabior was considered wealthy or not. It didn't matter. The Joker didn't care about money in Gotham, and he certainly didn't care about it here. He didn't need money. Although at least he could burn money in the United States. There were only coins here, and that spoiled the fun.

Hermione, on the other hand, saw that Scabior did have a tidy sum of money. There was a significant number of Galleons in his vault, though there was an equal number of Knuts and Sickles.

"I've been on the job longer than you," Scabior smirked at Hermione. He noticed her mentally calculating his wealth.

"Good because you're buying," Hermione shot back.

After Gringotts, they made their way to Slug & Jiggers Apothecary and picked up most of the supplies on Hermione's list. The Joker observed as much as he could without drawing attention to himself. He mostly read the labels on the potion bottles. It was fascinating how many uses there were for all the different potions. Several of them were cures for diseases he had never heard of.

"Don't worry, we'll pick up some books, too," Hermione whispered to the Joker as they left the apothecary. "You'll be able to read up on a lot of this stuff."

The Joker wasn't much of a reader, but books on magic certainly peaked his interest. And in the long run it would save him from asking Hermione a million questions, though he could always use an extra way to irritate Scabior…

Scabior rolled his eyes at Hermione's insistence of visiting Flourish and Blotts. Like the Joker, Scabior never read. He waited by the entrance as Hermione went through the aisles. She had checked back at home for her books, but they were all gone, so her list was long. The Joker followed her, every once in awhile pointing at a particular book. Hermione would explain what it was about and sometimes she added it to their basket, which was getting heavier by the minute.

"Scabior?" a voice interrupted his thoughts. It was another Snatcher named Jackson. "Back already?"

Scabior hadn't anticipated running into one of his colleagues. He supposed it was better to test his lie out now rather than later when they were surrounded by the others.

"Short hunt," Scabior shrugged.

"So you decided to visit a bookstore?" Jackson raised an eyebrow. Scabior was not known as an intellectual.

"Not all of us are illiterate like you," Scabior said.

"Oh sod off," Jackson said. "Where are the others?"

"I gave them the night off," Scabior said. "I'm guessing not all of them have made it back yet."

The Snatcher nodded knowingly. Many times after a hunt Snatchers would stay in the city, usually killing and looting muggles.

"Well, see you back at camp," Jackson gave Scabior a curt nod.

Scabior was glad to know his story worked, but he knew it wouldn't last long. In a couple of days, his men would be expected to return. He didn't know what excuse he would use then.

"Is everything okay?" Hermione asked Scabior.

She and the Joker had just finished their shopping. She handed Scabior back his sack of coins, which felt considerably lighter.

"Yeah, that was another Snatcher, but he bought the story," Scabior said. "Where are all your books?"

Hermione waved her beaded bag at Scabior.

"Undetectable extension charm," she said smugly.

It had impressed the Joker when Hermione had been able to stuff all the books into that little bag. And, he never thought he would admit it, but the Joker actually _wanted_ to read some of the books. When it came to building his knowledge, the Joker was nearly as studious as Hermione. He liked to call it doing his research.

"Bookworm," Scabior muttered. "Are we done?"

"I was thinking we could visit Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," Hermione said. She yearned to see a familiar face, though she knew it would also break her heart to see Fred and George, especially if they too believed the Ministry's lies.

"Bad idea," Scabior shook his head. "You have a part to play. You're not here to have some bloody reunion with your old friends."

"I just want to see if they're okay," Hermione said.

But deep down, she knew Scabior was right. If they did go, she couldn't greet them like she normally would. But maybe she could send them a message… If they believed her, they could tell Harry and Ron, and then they could be reunited.

"If their sodding store is still open for business, then they're fine," Scabior snapped. He sighed at the expression on Hermione's face. "Fine, I'll go in there and have a look myself. You two wait out here."

Scabior decided it would be useful to pick up some Peruvian Powder, Decoy Detonators and Shield cloaks handy. After this bloody trip, he'd need to make another trip to Gringotts. He scowled. The lengths he went to for this bloody witch.

Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out a book for the Joker as well as one for herself. Quietly, they began reading. It was unlike anything they had ever done together before - no guns, no explosions. Just the two of them standing and reading. It was strange, but it was nice.

Then, out of nowhere, a pair of hands grabbed Hermione's jacket. She gasped, as her book fell to the ground.

"My children. Where are my children? What has he done with them? You know, you know!" the homeless man in front of her moaned. It was clear he was wandless, probably a muggle-born or half-blood. A bloody bandage covered one of his eyes.

"I - I really," Hermione stammered. She didn't know what to say to this man.

"C'mere," the Joker said to the man.

The Joker yanked him by his hair, pulling him away from Hermione. He stuck a blade inside the man's mouth. Without his usual taunting, the Joker flicked his wrist and sliced his cheek. He didn't want to make a scene here, when wizards would have undoubtedly used their wands. It was more than that though. This was a dog that obviously wanted to be put down. It wasn't as much fun teasing the depressed ones.

It happened so quickly. Hermione didn't even have time to tell the Joker to stop. One moment the homeless man was in front of her face and the next he was slumped on the ground, dead.

"Let's get out of here," the Joker grumbled. He had been enjoying his book about the first Wizarding War. This Voldemort fellow...

Hermione was still in shock. Her feet remained planted on the ground.

"Come on, come on, come _on_," the Joker reached for Hermione's wrist and led her back towards The Leaky Cauldron. The damn Snatcher could meet them back at the house. "Go on and send a message to lover boy."

That unfroze Hermione. She had to warn Scabior. Shaking, she reached into her pocket for the Galleon. Then she thought hard about her message, and the Galleon grew warm: _Come home._

* * *

><p>AN: As promised, this chapter was much more interesting than the last one. Sorry we still haven't quite caught up to the prologue. Do leave your thoughts - I wasn't quite sure how the Joker should react to the Wizarding world...


	4. My Iron Lung

Scabior entered Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and started towards the Defense section. He had no use for the Joke products, nor was he interested in any of the WonderWitch nonsense. In fact, if it wasn't for that stupid mudblood, he wouldn't have come in at all.

The store had been jam packed with people when it had first opened, but, as with every store in Diagon Alley, business died down once the war started.

As such, Fred noticed Scabior immediately. George had the night off; there was no point in both of them being there when few customers came in anymore.

"We're closed," Fred said coldly.

Scabior stopped mid-step and turned to face Fred. Red hair and freckles, he was definitely a Weasley. The old Scabior would have gladly Cursed him, but he knew that this lanky boy actually meant something to Hermione, and for some reason that mattered now.

"Sign says otherwise," Scabior replied curtly.

All the while looking at Scabior, Fred waved his wand and the sign on the door turned over.

So this was an act of defiance. Scabior itched to draw out his wand, but one, Fred already had his out and two, Hermione probably wouldn't forgive him for hurting yet another one of her friends.

"I just want to buy a few things," Scabior said as calmly as he could.

"That's usually why people come in here," Fred said dryly.

Scabior was about to open his mouth and argue back when he felt the Galleon in his right pocket grow warm. Instinctively, he reached into his pocket. He didn't want to read the message in front of Fred, though.

"Fine," Scabior gritted through his teeth.

If the twat wanted to be cheeky, so be it. He had more important matters at hand. A message from Hermione could only mean bad news.

_Come home._

The bloody hell did that mean? Did she decide to go back early so she and that filthy muggle could- No, she wasn't interested in him. She couldn't be. He looked like a freak. He was a freak.

Scabior wasn't going to ignore this though.

"First the bookstore and now a joke shop?" a voice came from behind him.

Shit. Jackson. Hadn't he gone back to camp?

As if he had heard Scabior's thought, Jackson answered his question.

"I forgot to pick up some more firewhiskey. Where are you off to?" Jackson asked suspiciously.

He couldn't very well Disapparate to the house now. He'd have to lose him somehow. Scabior turned around to face Jackson.

"Had to pick up some supplies for the next hunt," Scabior said nonchalantly. "I'm heading over to Gringotts. Didn't take enough with me."

"Oh, well I'll come along with you then," Jackson said. "I need to drop off this month's earnings."

Fuck. Why did Scabior say Gringotts? He'd just been there, and surely one of the goblins would say something. He had to backtrack and fast.

"You know what, never mind," Scabior said. "I thought I had to make a stop at Wiseacre's, but I actually have everything I need."

"You sure?" Jackson replied, giving Scabior a strange look.

Scabior nodded in return.

"Forget it. I'll go another time," Jackson waved his hand. "I hate going there anyway. Bloody goblins give me the creeps. Back to camp then?"

What could Scabior say? Ditching Jackson was now out of the question, and if Scabior tried to go anywhere else, Jackson would want to know where. Snatchers didn't go to many places besides camp and Diagon Alley when they weren't out catching mudbloods. It would be suspicious, and Jackson had already caught Scabior at Flourish and Blotts and the Weasley shop.

Bloody hell. Looked like he wasn't going to be coming home after all.

* * *

><p>"<em>So.<em> You and plaid boy, eh?" the Joker asked, leaning on the kitchen counter.

After she and the Joker had cleared through the Leaky Cauldron, she had Disapparated them back to the house. This time, the sensation didn't feel as strange to the Joker. He actually liked it.

"Plaid boy? You mean Scabior? What are you - Wait, you didn't actually believe Bellatrix, did you?" Hermione replied, as she prepared sandwiches for the two of them, and one extra for when Scabior returned.

"Who?" the Joker said.

"The crazy Death Eater woman," Hermione said.

"A-_ah_, she's one of them?" the Joker said, bemused. So one - or a few - steps up from Snatchers, and that's what you got.

"Not just any one. She's You-Know-Who's second in command," Hermione explained.

"Not very bright orstable," the Joker snorted derisively.

Honestly, was no one a match for him but Batman? If that ended up being the case, he'd return to Gotham sorely disappointed. And he just might have to bring Hermione back with him.

"She's insane, but she's actually a really talented witch. I was afraid she would have known the truth," Hermione admitted. "She's sort of obsessed with You-Know-Who, though, so he must have thought she wouldn't do a great job at keeping the secret."

She reached into the refrigerator and grabbed two cans of beer. It was by no means butterbeer, but it would do after the day they had.

"So she just _happened_ to hear a rumor about you two?" the Joker asked suspiciously. He did not like what that woman had said. Not. At. All.

"You wouldn't believe what lies the Ministry has been spreading," Hermione said. "What, you don't really think there's an ounce of truth to that?"

She handed the Joker his plate and glass. The two of them began eating straight off the kitchen island.

"For all I know, _I _only witnessed the break-up," the Joker said in between bites.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"What happened in that cafe was not a 'break-up.' That was standard Scabior trying to capture and kill me," Hermione said.

The Joker didn't know anything about her past life really, and he had never met Bellatrix before. Why did he believe her so easily? He shouldn't have any predisposition to believe the first rumor he heard over Hermione.

"Not kill," the Joker corrected her.

The sandwich was quite enjoyable, better than anything the Joker could have thrown together. Maybe it wasn't that bad working with someone else if it meant all his food would be prepared for him.

"Yes, well, either way, I never had any romantic feelings for him," Hermione said, exasperated. This entire conversation was ridiculous, in her opinion.

"Mmm," the Joker grunted.

Hermione could only think of one explanation for his behavior, given what she had gone through with Ron. That had been similar and quite unpleasant.

"Are you…are you jealous?" Hermione asked in semi-disbelief.

After all, this was the Joker. He didn't care about anyone. And after what Hermione had felt at Gringotts, she had told herself to put up walls because it wouldn't do to like a man like him. She would only get herself hurt.

"What? _Me_? Fool around with whoever you like," the Joker waved his hand.

Of course he wouldn't admit it.

"Well for your information, I've never had a boyfriend. I've only ever snogged one guy in my life," Hermione said brusquely.

The Joker raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure what 'snogged' meant, but at least she hadn't said 'shagged.' That word he did understand.

"Before you ask, it was not Scabior," Hermione said.

The Joker leaned forward on the counter, causing Hermione's heartbeat to increase. What was this?

"Now I _really_ want to know," he purred.

Hermione huffed. The Joker was so demanding.

"If you must know, it was Viktor," she said.

"O-oh, the _not_ ex-boyfriend?" the Joker grinned, pointing out Hermione's lie, as she knew he would.

"We never actually dated," Hermione said. "He went to a different school, and my school was hosting a tournament, so I only got to know him that year."

Hermione paused. She felt the galleon in her pocket grow warm, and she hastily took it out. Why wasn't Scabior back yet? The Joker copied her actions and read the message on his coin.

_Meet outside camp in 30._

"Why did Scabior go to camp without us?" Hermione asked, confused.

The Joker rolled his eyes.

"You guys _really_ need cell phones," he nodded. "Maybe your lov-_er_ is back to his old ways."

Hermione bit her lip. It was a possibility she couldn't ignore, but she also didn't believe. After all, he had run into one of his old pals, and they had even seen Bellatrix. It would be easy for Scabior to fall off the wagon, so to speak.

"One of the other Snatchers must have dragged him back to camp," Hermione reasoned out loud. "The one he was talking to at Flourish and Blotts maybe."

"Talking to," the Joker laughed. "You mean uh plotting with?"

"You're just predisposed to turn me against Scabior," Hermione frowned.

Who the hell talked like that? The Joker only grinned, knowing Hermione was too smart for such tactics, though plaid boy wasn't.

"We'll have to go and find out, I suppose," Hermione said.

"Walking into the trap," the Joker smacked his lips. "I _like_ that."

Hermione sighed. They had to get ready.

It was dark when Hermione and the Joker arrived in the Forest of Dean, twenty five minutes after Hemione had received Scabior's message.

They were by a small lake surrounded by tall trees. Hermione had encountered it when she was first taken to the Snatchers' headquarters. The lake was actually quite close to the camp; they could see the lights emanating from the tents at the far edge. As for the camp itself, Hermione was somewhat familiar with the layout. It was where she spent her time in between hunts, usually a day or two at a time. She was always isolated in her own tent and, of course, locked in there, but she still saw the grounds from time to time, and she wasn't always put in the same tent.

Hermione knew it was dangerous being so close, when she and the Joker didn't know what the plan was with the other Snatchers. But she also knew it would be difficult for Scabior to stray far, especially if his absence was noted.

Hermione sent a message through the Galleon to Scabior: _We're at the lake._ It should only take him a minute to find them.

"What's that?" Hermione asked the Joker. He had brought two large duffle bags with him.

"Help me hide these," the Joker nodded towards the other side of the lake, close to the outskirts of the tents.

"What's in them?" Hermione asked the Joker, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Something told her they were full of explosives. She eyed them warily, debating whether or not to cast a Shield charm. The Joker wasn't that careless, was he?

"You're a smart girl," the Joker licked his lips. Then, impatiently, "_Now_ - are you going to help me or not?"

The old Hermione would have protested killing the Snatchers, but this was different; it was insurance, a way out if they needed it. This was precisely why Hermione had brought on the Joker. She had learned the hard way that it was impossible to defeat her enemies when they never suffered any casualties. The Joker was her bridge to the darker side, which had been awoken by her experiences in the hunt.

Hermione nodded in assent and followed him to the other side of the lake.

"Where to hide them…" the Joker murmured to himself as he looked around.

Hermione knew they would remain unseen in the trees. She Levitated the two bags into the branches, sprouted new branches to cover them up, and, for good measure, cast a few Charms to completely camouflage them.

"You'll tell me before you detonate them, won't you?" Hermione asked the Joker skeptically. He wasn't one to let anyone in on his plans.

"S-_ure_," the Joker grinned.

So long as he wasn't suicidal, Hermione supposed that would have to do. Besides, she didn't plan on the three of them spending much time at camp. As Scabior put it, the others would realize that the rest of his crew was missing - permanently. This was just a window of opportunity to get some information.

"Uh… What. Is. That," the Joker pointed behind Hermione.

Hermione turned around to see a Patronus shining before them. For a split second, she thought it was sent by Harry because it looked like a stag. But then Hermione saw that this Patronus was missing antlers - it was a doe. She couldn't think of anyone with a doe Patronus.

Still, a Patronus was a good sign. It was a positive force, after all. Someone else from the Order must have sent it.

Before Hermione could make up her mind about it, the Patronus began walking away from them.

"We should follow it," Hermione said.

It was now or never. She stood up and jogged to catch up.

"What _is_ it?" the Joker asked irritably.

He walked next to Hermione, not sure why they were following a random deer-shaped light. Granted, if he had been by himself, he would have followed it, too. That was how he had originally found Hermione.

"Lumos," Hermione whispered, as the tip of her wand lit up.

Of _course _wands could be flashlights.

"That's a Patronus," Hermione explained. "It's conjured by positive energy and used against Dementors."

"Which are…?" the Joker motioned for Hermione to continue. After he read some of those books, he better know more about all of this.

"They're awful, terrible creatures that feed off positive feelings and memories. You know when they're around because it gets cold and you feel like…like you'll never be happy again," Hermione said. She shivered involuntarily at the memory of the Dementors that had occupied Hogwarts during her third year. "They can also suck out your soul, which is much worse than death sentence. They can't be killed, so the only protection against them is the Patronus. The Ministry used them to guard Azkaban prison, but now they've defected to You-Know-Who. That's how all of the Death Eaters were able to escape and re-join their master."

The Joker noticed Hermione's reaction.

"So what are we, walking towards them?" the Joker asked.

"Oh no," Hermione said. She forgot to mention the other part. "You can also use a Patronus to send a message, but it's obviously not good for secrets since it's out in the open. Someone sent this Patronus to us."

It all sounded like the perfect trap to him, but he didn't care. So long as what awaited them was interesting because if it _wasn't_, there would be fireworks. He could only go so long without creating some chaos.

"You've uh met one of these?" he asked.

The Joker was curious about these creatures. How would they react to him? He didn't feel anything except for when he got angry. Even then it was more like a dog snapping, a random bout of violence. He did feel elated, though, when one of his plans went through, whether it was blowing up a mall or slicing up a man.

"During my third year at school, an escaped convict… Well, he was actually innocent - my friend Harry's godfather Sirius Black was framed for murdering several muggles and betraying Harry's parents, when in actuality it was another old friend of theirs who had joined You-Know-Who. The Ministry sent Dementors to Hogwarts because they thought Sirius would try to contact Harry," Hermione told the Joker. She paused and then decided to finish the story. "We lost the evidence proving Sirius's innocence, but he got to spend a couple of years with Harry before Bellatrix killed him at the end of our fifth year."

So dear old Bella _did_ know how to have fun. And here he had thought she was all talk. The Joker had only heard of Scabior hunting down his few victims - usually teenagers - with his large "crew." It was pathetic.

But what was all of this hype around this Harry boy?

"Your friend… the one Scabior talked about. His parents fought in the first war?" the Joker asked. He had read that much at least.

Hermione was surprised that the Joker had been taking notes. She pushed a branch out of her way and answered his question.

"Yes, Harry," Hermione said. "His parents were murdered by You-Know-Who when he was a baby. There was a prophecy between Harry and You-Know-Who that neither can live while the other survives, so Harry is You-Know-Who's main target. He tried to kill Harry the night he murdered his parents, but the spell backfired and he disappeared."

The Joker hadn't gotten to Voldemort's downfall yet. That was disappointing. He failed trying to kill a baby? Well, criminals did have a tendency to become more paranoid the more powerful they got. Or did these so-called prophecies actually come true? That would be annoying.

"Your friend is supposed to save the world?" the Joker snorted.

"He's really a great wizard," Hermione said defensively. She supposed the task of taking down Voldemort did seem daunting. "We were working on it - him, Ron and I. I don't have any of those memories anymore, but we must have been onto something, or else why bother erasing so many memories?"

"Who's _Ron_?" the Joker asked suspiciously. "Another _not_ ex-boyfriend?"

"One of my best friends," Hermione said. "He comes from a big pure-blood family, but they're fighting against You-Know-Who. Remember the joke shop I had wanted to visit in Diagon Alley? Ron's older twin brothers own it."

Suddenly, the doe came to a stop.

The Joker was about to point out that _did not answer his question_, but something seemed amiss.

Hermione, too, fell silent as she looked at their surroundings. They were at the edge of a frozen lake. It was much smaller than the one by the Snatchers' camp. The doe stood still in the middle of the lake, so the lake must have some significance.

And then she spotted a pair of trousers next to the doe.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted.

She knew at once that something was wrong and that it had to be Harry. She ran to the middle of the lake, nearly sliding and falling, to where the pile of clothes were. Hermione didn't know if the Joker was following her. All she could focus on was the broken ice next to the clothes, which were undoubtedly Harry's. She looked into the water and gasped upon seeing Harry thrashing around.

The Joker made his way leisurely towards Hermione. So, was her friend skinny dipping in the frozen lake?

Without a second thought, Hermione jumped in the lake.

The ice cold gripped Hermione like a thousand frozen hands. In any other instance she would have cried out, but it didn't bother her now, not when the adrenaline was pumping through her veins and warming her body. All she could focus on was saving Harry.

The doe disappeared the moment Hermione jumped into the lake. Well _that_ wasn't smart. The Joker didn't mind pain, but even he could tell the water would be a little uncomfortable right now. He really hoped he wouldn't have to _save_ anyone.

Meanwhile, Hermione grabbed Harry's shoulder and, out of the corner of her eye, spotted the sword of Gryffindor. She didn't have time to think about why it was there or how it had gotten there. She used her other free hand to take it, and then she swam to the surface.

To her surprise, the Joker was waiting for her. He dragged Harry's body out of the water, as Hermione sputtered, taking deep breaths. Her lungs felt permanently frozen.

"Got a spell handy?" the Joker gestured at Harry, whose body was limp. He had never learned CPR because he had no plans of saving anyone, ever. It wasn't like you could use CPR on yourself and, even if you could, the Joker didn't care enough.

"Right," Hermione said. She muttered a spell that cleared the respiratory tract.

To her relief, Harry began coughing. She then noticed the locket around his neck.

"Killer necklace," the Joker laughed in his high-pitched, giggly tone. What an _interesting_ choice of jewelry.

Harry's coughs began to turn violent, and Hermione scrambled to take off the locket. As she hovered over him, Harry reached out and held her hand weakly.

"Destroy…" Harry croaked. "Destroy the locket."

The locket was twitching in Hermione's hand. What was this thing and what was she supposed to destroy it with?

Then she remembered the sword. She grabbed it and set the locket, which was now squirming in earnest, on a stump.

The Joker walked towards Hermione, squinting at the moving piece of jewelry. What _was_ it?

She positioned herself, ready to swing the sword, when Harry uttered a word in Parseltongue. Hermione was about to ask Harry what he was saying when she heard the locket swing open.

Before her blinked a living eye. Though she hadn't the faintest clue what this locket was, Hermione somehow knew that this was Tom Riddle's eye before it had been turned scarlet and slit-pupiled. It was like she could feel his energy, his power.

And then Riddle's voice spoke.

"I have looked into your soul…and it is mine. Dead to your dearest friends, who so easily left you when you needed them the most… Ostracized by everyone you knew, alone, betrayed, and misunderstood… You were not missed, no, your friends were glad to be rid of the insufferable know-it-all…"

Out of the locket came apparitions of Harry and Ron sneering at Hermione. Hermione trembled at the sight of them. She knew they weren't real, but there they were, taunting her, telling her she should have never come back. What was this thing - a Boggart? It somehow knew Hermione, unveiling her deepest fears and attacking her confidence where it was weakest.

"Destroy it!" Harry yelled behind her before he resumed another coughing fit.

The Joker's eyes flickered between Hermione and the ghostly images. It was getting to her. How did this piece of glass and metal know so much about her? How could it know anything?

Hermione was rooted to the spot, frozen and unable to lift the sword. With tears streaming down her eyes, she could only listen as Riddle's voice continued.

"But I also know your dreams. All you desire is possible… There is nothing left for you here, nothing left of your so-called friends. They spurn you, but I welcome you. I understand you more than they ever did… With your intelligence we could accomplish great things… I would give you everything… Take me, take me with you, and together we will destroy your enemies… We will achieve greatness!"

"Hermione, you have to destroy it!" Harry shouted behind her.

His voice sounded far away. Harry and Ron disappeared; Riddle replaced them. He was speaking directly to her. Hermione's eyes were transfixed on the young, handsome Riddle - powerful and great, but capable of so much evil. Next to him, an image of Hermione appeared, a more beautiful version of herself. She linked arms with Riddle and looked at them haughtily, her chin held high.

For a moment, Hermione's eyes flashed red as she imagined herself up there with Riddle, above those who had enslaved her, but then she realized she was nothing like him.

Yes she had wanted to overcome her situation, but she had already done it. Along the way she had somehow acquired power, but she didn't want it. She didn't seek it. She only wanted to stop Voldemort and his followers. Riddle, on the other hand, wanted to rule the world. He thought he could draw Hermione to him. She was, after all, working with questionable types like Scabior and the Joker. At the core, though, even they did not hold a candle to Voldemort. Their motives were not nearly as malevolent or evil. Hermione even believed they could change. Voldemort, however, was who he was, and he would not change. Nor did he see anyone as his equal. He was lying to Hermione, which meant his other words about Harry and Ron could be lies, too. Her logic helped Hermione regain her confidence.

"He's lying to you! Don't believe him - destroy the locket Hermione!" Harry continued.

That was the real Harry, not the apparition before her.

"No," Hermione said, staring Riddle right in the eye. "You know nothing about me. You are the one who is alone, and it is you who will be destroyed."

She lifted the sword above her head with two hands and, arching her body forward, Hermione swung the blade into the locket.

What transpired was, without a doubt, the strangest thing that the Joker had ever seen. And _he_ was supposed to be the weird one.

Riddle's eyes widened. He stared down at the sword, which had pierced through the locket. He covered his ears with his hands, yelling, as his knees buckled to the ground. Then the image of him vanished entirely, though his yells remained. They soon turned into anguished screams, sounding less and less human. The glass shattered, and the locket shuddered. Finally, the sounds and cries subsided, until all that was left was the broken shards and a wisp of black smoke that rose from within the locket.

* * *

><p>Thank you <strong>Rifkala<strong>! I hope I'm developing their characters well because it's certainly difficult when we're not given much insight into the Joker's "feelings" in the Dark Knight. That, and he essentially has no history. I'm more scared of ruining his character, so I'm careful of where to insert certain thoughts.


	5. Worrywort

Scabior kicked a branch away angrily. First they left him in Diagon Alley and now they were standing him up?

He had already sent Hermione a message asking where she was. Now, as he stomped back to camp, he sent off a ruder one.

Here he was, putting himself at risk for this bloody witch and she wouldn't even return his messages. Well what a surprise it would be when he didn't turn up with any information.

* * *

><p>Hermione stepped back, breathing heavily. She set the sword down in the snow.<p>

"What was that?" Hermione asked, turning to Harry and the Joker.

Harry wasn't ready to tell Hermione about the Horcruxes yet, not until he understood what her motives her and who this strange man was. Her return was unexpected, but not at all unwelcome. After all, she had just saved his life. It threw Harry off, though, since he had accepted that Hermione had turned. Now he wasn't so sure. He wanted more than anything to believe that Hermione was back for good and that everything he had heard was lies. Yet with what had happened in Godric's Hollow, Harry was more wary about trusting people.

"Who is he?" Harry asked Hermione.

Hermione's heart fell at Harry's mistrusting demeanor. But of course it would appear suspicious, showing up with another man. At least she had changed out of her Snatcher clothes for the time being.

"You believed the lies, too, didn't you?" Hermione asked softly. She wasn't angry, like she thought she would be, but rather disappointed.

Harry immediately felt bad for acting so cold towards Hermione. He could see in her eyes that her feelings were hurt, and he felt guilty.

"I honestly don't know what to believe anymore," Harry admitted. "You don't know how happy I am to see you 'Mione. But I'm also confused. Why did you decide to come back now?"

"You make it sound like I had a choice with either of those things," Hermione said bitterly. "I've been surviving the hunts as a number mind you, and I only just managed to escape this last one with the help of…"

She couldn't very well introduce the Joker as, well, the Joker, but she hadn't thought up a name for him. She was about to use the fake name he had provided to Bellatrix, when the Joker stepped in.

"Jack," the Joker finished, flashing his teeth.

On second thought, perhaps it was good that he didn't use the same name. That way Harry would never know of any association between him and Bellatrix.

Harry eyed the Joker warily. This man looked ten years older than Hermione. Besides the age difference, Harry didn't notice any other immediate alarming qualities. He had interesting scars for sure, but then again, so did Harry.

"And were you also in the hunt?" Harry asked him.

"_No_," the Joker replied.

Okay, so the guy was somewhat weird.

"He's a muggle," Hermione jumped in. She could tell the Joker was getting bored again. "But he knew Gotham, the city we were in, very well, so he was able to help."

Making quotation marks in the air, the Joker mouthed help while rolling his eyes. Help? It was more like killed-every-Snatcher.

"Well that's…good," Harry said with slight hesitation. "How did you find me?"

Hermione perked up at his question.

"It was the strangest thing. We happened to be in the forest, when a doe Patronus approached us. I hadn't the faintest clue who might have sent it, but I suspected the Order. So we followed it to the lake, and there you were," Hermione said.

"Being strangled by a necklace," the Joker added, as he replayed the scene in his mind. Why would anyone make a necklace like that? Unless they had a specific recipient in mind… then again, who goes skinny dipping wearing that? "You mind uh ex-_plain-_ing that?"

Harry pondered for a moment, but he also didn't know anyone with a doe Patronus. It was a mystery indeed if Hermione was telling the truth. And Harry hoped that all of this was true. He wanted to believe it. Still, he needed to get Ron's opinion.

"It'd be better if I told you back at the tent," Harry finally said.

Hermione's eyes lit up.

"Is Ron…?" Hermione began.

"He's there, yeah," Harry said, his eyes downcast. "I can't say how he's going to react, so I suppose we'll just have to go and see."

Hermione nodded, but tears welled up in her eyes. This was not the reunion she had imagined. Scabior was right. Her friends had truly abandoned her. They had believed the Ministry's lies over everything they knew about Hermione. Even now, she could see the doubt in Harry's eyes. He wanted to believe her, but he didn't. Not yet. It hurt Hermione more than she could imagine. Was it a mistake to have returned? Perhaps there was no life for her here.

"No, you haven't tried yet," Hermione thought. "Give it a shot, at least."

But the thought remained. What if their friendship never returned to the way it was before?

Harry dried his clothes and put them on. Hermione turned around, on the pretense of saving Harry from embarrassment, but she really wanted to send a message to Scabior. She felt the warmth in her pocket and knew he had already sent her something.

_Bloody hell are you?_

Hermione could just picture Scabior scowling as he sent the message. She quickly sent several back on a loop, so he could read them all.

_Found friends._

_Get information._

_Meet you soon._

Hermione held the broken locket and she and the Joker followed Harry. The Joker picked up the sword before Harry could. Harry didn't feel entirely comfortable with him carrying the sword of Gryffindor, but if he really was a muggle, there wasn't much he could do.

"How did you manage to escape?" Harry asked Hermione.

Hermione's cheeks reddened.

"Well I - I mean Jack," she stammered.

Harry looked over at the Joker, who had been examining the sword. It had the sharpest edge he had ever come across. The Joker let out a high-pitched giggle. This man was so very strange.

"She didn't have anyone to escape _from_, if you know what I mean," the Joker laughed.

"What? You mean you…you killed them all?" Harry asked, surprised.

He had expected a covert escape, not an all-out massacre. There was no way this muggle had been able to take out a crew of Snatchers. If Hermione couldn't do it with a wand, how could he?

"Why the surprise?" the Joker said dryly. "It wasn't difficult."

"He was really great," Hermione said. "And he saved me more than once."

If this muggle had been able to take out a crew of Snatchers, well then that was impressive. But it also meant he wasn't to be trifled with. He was dangerous. How had Hermione met him, and why was she working with him now?

"Oh, I'm _quite_ the hero," the Joker snorted.

"Right," Harry said, his eyes flickering between the two.

He was grateful for this man's help in saving Hermione and helping her escape, but something was off about him. Still, his gratitude outweighed his suspicions. Harry knew Hermione, or at least he had until the Ministry's lies had come along, and he could tell that she was telling the truth. Hermione was an awful liar.

They reached the tent, which from the outside looked like it could barely fit two people. The Joker cocked his head to the side. Snug it was.

But when they entered through the flap, the Joker found himself standing in a spacious room with several small bunks. Across from them was a kitchen and picnic table. Well, _well_. He should have expected some sort of trick like this.

"Harry, mate, where have you…." Ron began, turning to them with a cup of tea. His eyes widened upon seeing Hermione. The cup fell from his hands, shattering on the floor. "Her…Hermione?"

Seeing as though he had Ron's wand, Harry quickly repaired the cup. The Joker observed all of this silently. This was the not ex-boyfriend, eh?

"Hi Ron," Hermione said with a small smile. She had to resist running up to him and embracing him. She had never felt so unsure in her life.

"You've been gone for months and all you say is 'Hi'?" Ron replied angrily. He blinked at the broken locket in her hand. "You destroyed the Horcrux? Wait, how is it that you happen to have the sword of Gryffindor? And who the bloody hell is _he_?"

The Joker rolled his eyes. He didn't do well with dramatic emotional situations. In fact, it always made him want to kill people, whether it was to shut them up or to let out steam.

"Calm down, Ron," Harry said. "That's Hermione's…friend, Jack. He saved her life and helped her to escape. She hasn't been participating in the hunts as a Snatcher, Ron. She's been a number this whole time."

The Joker eyed Ron. It was painfully obvious that he was jealous. That meant he saw Hermione as more than a friend, and, if Hermione really was missing some of her memories, she could have seen him the same way at one point in time. Hmm…

His gaze switched over to her, but her expression did not seem amorous. Good. Now normally he would work on the accidental death of this boy, except that could potentially lead to a dramatic and emotional Hermione, and he had no intentions of killing her yet. That meant he would have to take the "Scabior" approach in convincing Hermione that this redhead was worthless. Of course it was slightly more difficult when the boy probably had a clean slate with murder and was already best friends with Hermione. Still, the Joker was quite the philosopher…

"It's all true," Hermione said, her eyes pleading with Ron.

Ron was silent for a few moments, looking between Hermione and the Joker. He had never believed for a single moment that Hermione had betrayed their cause. Sure, Harry had been convinced, but Ron had faith in Hermione. He knew his Hermione. Once she was gone, though, and Ron was left to pick up the reins, he didn't want to argue with Harry and hurt their morale.

Yet it was different to see her again in the flesh. Ron certainly had not imagined her bringing another man to their reunion. He heard what Harry said, and he was grateful that this man had somehow helped Hermione, but he didn't like the look the Joker gave him. Nor did he like how the Joker leered at Hermione. She seemed oblivious to it all, but Ron could tell that something was going on.

Ron decided he didn't want to ruin their reunion with his jealousy. In these past few months, he had grown up a lot. There was a bigger end goal in mind. Besides, he and Hermione were meant to be together, and she would learn that again now that she was back. In the meantime, he would keep an eye on the Joker and learn as much about him as he could. In the midst of the war, Ron had picked up a few lessons on being cunning instead of rash.

"Well then I suppose you could use these," Ron pulled out several vials from his pocket.

Harry was relieved to see that Ron was reacting well. It meant that Ron believed Hermione, as Harry mostly did.

Ron walked over to what looked like a shallow stone basin. Runes and strange symbols were carved into the stone. Opening the bottles, Ron poured a silvery substance that appeared to be a cloud-like liquid into the basin.

"How did you get a Pensieve?" Hermione asked, stunned.

"We found it in Regulus's room back at Grimmauld Place," Harry explained.

"When were we-" Hermione began.

"You'll see," Ron said. "You saved your most important memories of the past year. Here, take this Memory Potion. It's supposed to help you access your memories. Maybe more will come back to you over time, but you need to view these memories so you'll know everything."

"Come on then," Harry gestured at Hermione and the Joker. "Let's take a look at these memories."

* * *

><p>AN: Finally, the reunion! Well whaddaya think? Sorry it took me longer than usual to update. I'm saving the trip down memory lane for the next one.

What memories would you like to see?

**Lisa** - Thanks! I'm glad you like the way this crossover is going :-) I'll tell ya it's much harder depicting the Joker in the wizarding world than it is showing Hermione in Gotham.

**KatieMarrie** - Thanks! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	6. Inside My Head

The four of them, Harry, Ron, Hermione and the Joker, stuck their heads into the Pensieve and felt themselves being whisked away.

It was the first time for everyone except Harry to view a memory, and the feeling was disorienting to say the least. It took Hermione, Ron and the Joker a few moments to gather their surroundings. It was if their entire bodies had been transported somewhere else. All of it felt real, but they knew it was only a memory.

The Joker was fascinated with the idea of viewing someone's memory, especially if it was _hers_. He was initially disappointed to see that they weren't in fact watching it from her point of view because that would have provided some insight into her mind. However, once he realized that they were reliving the memory, he found it even more interesting.

Hermione and Ron immediately recognized their Potions room. Except it was a lighter, happier atmosphere than what they were accustomed to with Professor Snape. Of course, the Joker hadn't the faintest clue where they were.

"This is our old Potions room," Hermione whispered to the Joker.

He peered at the two people in front of them, who took no notice of him. Nothing he did here would change anything, would have any affect. All he could do was watch.

Ron and Hermione recognized their most recent Potions professor. However, he looked much younger.

"Slughorn?" Hermione thought aloud.

"BLOODY HELL!" Ron jumped back at the sight of the second person.

Tom Riddle.

"This is Professor Slughorn's memory, isn't it?" Hermione asked Harry. She should have immediately known it wasn't hers when she was nowhere to be seen. And it definitely wasn't Riddle's memory.

Harry nodded.

"I took all of the important memories Dumbledore had shown me after he died. I didn't want Snape knowing what we know," Harry explained. "You'll understand soon enough."

Harry was right. Riddle began speaking, and Hermione and Ron listened closely. Ron knew what memory this was, since Harry had told him and Hermione all about it, but he was keen to see it himself.

"This is You-Know-Who when he was in school," Hermione whispered to the Joker.

The Joker hadn't known this was Lord Voldemort. He stopped running his hand through the desk beside him. This was going to be interesting.

Riddle approached a jovial Slughorn with some crystallized pineapple.

"I was in the library the other night, in the Restricted Section, and I read something rather odd about a bit of old magic. It's called, as I understand it, a Horcrux," Riddle said casually.

The smile on Slughorn's face disappeared, leaving Hermione to only wonder why. She hadn't the faintest clue with a Horcrux was. However, she knew this was the key bit of information, judging by Harry and Ron's grim looks.

"I beg your pardon?" Slughorn stammered.

Riddle continued as if nothing was wrong.

"Horcrux. I came across the term while reading. And I… didn't fully understand it," Riddle said.

Slughorn wiped his forehand with his handkerchief.

"I'm not sure what you're reading Tom, but this is dark stuff, really dark stuff indeed," Slughorn said worriedly.

"Which is why I came to you," Riddle said quickly.

His flattery was subtle, and it worked.

"A Horcrux is an object in which a person has concealed a part of his soul," Slughorn said uneasily. Harry knew he had never denied Riddle before, and he wasn't about to start now.

"But I don't understand how that works," Riddle said, continuing his curious façade.

Slughorn eyed Riddle carefully, but he couldn't see behind Riddle's mask. It was better not to question him.

"One splits one's soul and hides part of it in an object. You're protected should you be attacked and your body destroyed," Slughorn said.

"Protected?" Riddle asked.

"Part of you soul which is hidden lives on. In other words, you cannot die," Slughorn said.

Riddle turned his back to Slughorn, not wanting him to be able to see his eyes when he asked the next question.

"But how does one split ones soul?" Riddle asked carefully.

"But you already know the answer to that Tom," Slughorn said softly.

"Murder," Riddle stated.

"Murder rips the soul apart. It's a violation of nature," Slughorn said.

The Joker snorted at that. If that was true, his soul was split in… well, countless pieces. Except this stuff didn't apply to _him_.

"Can you only split the soul once? For instance, seven?" Riddle asked.

"_Seven_?" Slughorn exclaimed. "Merlin's beard Tom, isn't it bad enough to consider killing one person? To rip one's soul into seven pieces… But this is all hypothetical, isn't it Tom? Academic?"

By then it was too late. Slughorn tried his best to appease his conscience, but it wouldn't work. Ultimately he would doctor the memory and hide it until Harry came along and retrieved it from him.

"Of course sir," Riddle smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "It'll be an absolute secret."

Before Hermione could digest what Slughorn had said, they were taken away and thrown into the next memory.

This time it was her memory.

She watched herself Obliviate her parents. Tears welled in her eyes when it was confirmed that her parents were okay. It was such a personal memory, and Hermione wished for one moment that she was alone again, so she could view it herself.

"You sent them to Australia," Ron whispered to her.

"They're okay," Harry said with a warm smile.

The Joker rolled his eyes. He could do without the emotional memories. The one before, that was interesting. This was actually Hermione's memory, but it was strange. The Hermione he knew didn't have any parents. If she started to change back to a boring teenage girl, he might have to do something about it.

Thankfully, the memory didn't last long. Hermione had only saved it for herself to show her that her parents were safe.

The memories that followed all pertained to Horcruxes.

Hermione re-learned what they were hunting – Hufflepuff's cup, a relic of Ravenclaw and Nagini. The diary and ring were already destroyed, and she realized that they had just destroyed the locket.

She watched as she, Harry and Ron fumbled in the Ministry of Magic, stealing the locket from Umbridge and only barely escaping with their lives. She felt so proud of the three of them for freeing the Muggle-borns and Half-bloods. It was a tense memory and kept Hermione at the edge, though in her mind she knew this was not where they had been captured.

The Joker enjoyed observing the Wizarding world through Hermione's memories, and he particularly liked seeing how the Polyjuice potion worked. Again, he questioned how society could function when people had capabilities like that, but then again their society wasn't doing too well, was it? And all because of an evil, immortal man. This was better than anything he could have found in Gotham.

And finally, Hermione watched the three of them run from Snatchers. She saw as she sacrificed herself – one of her most popular theories – from Harry's point of view. The memory ended shortly after that, since Hermione remembered everything after that. She could finish the image in her mind, with her falling into the hands of Scabior and his men.

The four of them came out of the Pensieve, as if they had just finished watching a movie, though Ron had nothing to compare it to.

Hermione had hoped to regain all of her memories immediately, but she now saw how that was improbable, if not impossible. Granted, the Memory Potion Ron had given her was starting to work; the memories she had just witnessed were beginning to surface in her mind. But they felt hazy, as if they were from long ago. It would be a slow process. Hermione wasn't sure how regaining her memories would affect her, now that she had changed quite a bit from her experiences in the hunt.

The Joker had the same thought. He observed Hermione closely and noticed, with relief, that she was still the same old Hermione he knew. It better stay that way.

Hermione felt Scabior sending her a message and took the opportunity to get away.

"You feeling all right 'Mione?" Ron asked with concern.

"Yeah I just…I need a moment to myself," Hermione said, feeling guilty for lying to her best friends.

Harry and Ron exchanged a look and nodded. Though they loved Hermione, albeit in different ways, they were not great at comforting her.

"You sure you don't want me to come with you?" Ron asked. "It's not safe outside the wards."

"I'll be careful," Hermione reassured him. "Besides, you only have one wand between you two."

And with that, Hermione left the tent. She sent a message to Scabior with her coordinates, telling him to meet her now.

* * *

><p>"Only one wand?" the Joker turned to Harry and Ron.<p>

"His got broken when we were fighting You-Know-Who's snake," Ron said defensively.

The Joker really was quite amused by the ginger's jealous attitude. He hoped he would misbehave more often in front of Hermione. He, on the other hand, would appear to be on his best behavior. That gave him an idea.

The Joker smiled, showing his yellow teeth. Harry and Ron tried hard not to cringe. This man looked like a hobo. What was Hermione doing hanging out with the likes of him?

"Here then, I've got a few ah _extra_," the Joker tossed Harry one of the wands in his pocket.

With his Seeker reflexes, Harry caught the wand deftly. Any initial skepticism was swept away when Harry felt his magic connect with the wand. Ron looked between him and the Joker suspiciously.

"And how did you manage to get so many wands?" Ron asked angrily. "Are you a Snatcher?"

"Me?" the Joker widened his eyes and pointed to himself. "Why I'm just a…what's that word again?"

"He's a muggle, Ron," Harry said.

Ron looked genuinely confused at what Harry said. After all, the Joker had just viewed several memories with them and kept a stash of wands in his pocket. He certainly didn't seem like a muggle.

"Then how did you get those?" Ron asked again. Maybe he really was a wizard, and he was pulling their legs.

"I took them," the Joker shrugged.

"He um took out all of the Snatchers in Hermione's last hunt," Harry explained.

"But that's impossible," Ron sputtered. "He's a muggle!"

"Oh, really?" the Joker rolled his eyes.

"There are a lot of muggle weapons wizards don't know about," Harry said.

"Yeah, but the three of us weren't able to match a crew of Snatchers," Ron shot back.

"Which is really kind of pathetic if you ask me," the Joker laughed.

* * *

><p>"Where the bloody hell 'ave you been all day!" Scabior shouted angrily at Hermione.<p>

He had Apparated to Hermione the moment he received her message. First she had left him in Diagon Alley and then she had stood him up in the Forest of Dean. She had better have some bloody good excuses.

"I'm sorry about leaving you in the dark," Hermione apologized quickly. "I really didn't mean to. The Joker killed a homeless man in Diagon Alley, so we had to go back. Then we tried to meet you, but we ended up running into Harry and Ron."

Scabior was taken aback by that piece of news. He had received Hermione's message about reuniting with old friends, but he had assumed they were, well, other friends. Potter and the Weasley boy had been evading the Snatchers quite successfully, so it didn't seem likely that Hermione would find them so easily. Then again, maybe they had been looking for her.

"You…you're with Potter?" Scabior asked.

"Don't get any ideas," Hermione snapped. If there were anything that might bring Scabior back into You-Know-Who's graces, it would be delivering Harry on a silver platter. She knew this, and she didn't want to tempt Scabior into his old ways.

"Wouldn't dream of it love," Scabior smirked. "So now that's all done, you don't need me at camp anymore."

"That's the thing," Hermione said uneasily. "I haven't told Harry and Ron about you yet, and I also am going to need your help for something else."

"And what might that be?" Scabior asked sarcastically.

Hermione took in a deep breath.

"I know what we need to do next, and we're going to need Bellatrix's wand."

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry for the somewhat slow update. Life's been stressful - I'm buying a condo and moving to another city, so that's taken up a lot of my time. Anyway, viewing the memories was mostly about re-learning the Horcruxes. I'm sure you can see where this is going, but the next chapter will explain a lot of it, too. Please review!

**Lisa** - Thanks, and you definitely touched on the point that Hermione is going to have to deal with regaining her memories and more specifically keeping her current company while trying to go back to her life with Harry and Ron. It's not entirely sustainable, so we'll see what happens. In terms of the Joker's reaction to Pureblood traditions, he'll have to have more interactions in the Wizarding world before he takes that as a personal mission. Right now he's still getting his feet wet. The same goes for how he and Voldemort will react to each other - if and when that happens.

**Hugo Strange** - Thanks for the review. You think the Joker and Bellatrix would go well together? I think they are similar in many ways, but with Bellatrix's utter devotion to Voldemort, I don't see her wanting to be with the Joker, especially if she were to find out that he's a muggle.


	7. Separator

"You're absolutely sure?" Ron asked Hermione.

Ron looked at her hesitantly. He and Harry had been up and down England trying to find places where Voldemort might have hidden a Horcrux. While he didn't disagree with Hermione that Gringotts was a likely place, Ron wasn't going to embark on such an impossible mission unless they knew for sure. It couldn't be all for nothing.

Hermione nodded fervently.

"You should have heard her at Gringotts," Hermione said. "She was threatening one of the goblins, demanding him for a sphinx in addition to her dragon."

"Bloody hell," Ron said. "Dragons are only used to protect the oldest and most important vaults. She must have something really valuable."

The Joker rolled his eyes. As if that wasn't _ob_-vious. He, too, had immediately made the connection. After all this talk about Bellatrix being Voldemort's second in command and with her ah-_behavior_ at Gringotts, it made perfect sense. Why was Hermione friends with these morons?

"It makes sense," Harry said slowly, as if he had just read the Joker's mind. "She's You-Know-Who's right hand, and Gringotts is probably meaningful to him. The first money he ever earned would have been in the Wizarding world, at Borgin and Burkes."

"So we're going to rob a bank?" the Joker laughed gleefully. And to think this had all started on a morning when _he_ was going to rob a bank. They really were coming a full circle.

"Hagrid always said you'd have to be mad to rob Gringotts," Harry frowned.

The Joker began to ask who Hagrid was, but Hermione beat him to it and told him it was a half-giant friend of theirs.

"Well in any case we'll need Bellatrix's wand to get inside her vault," Hermione said.

"Why?" the Joker squinted at her. She was such a smart girl at other times…

"You need identification to get inside," Harry said, as Ron snorted derisively.

Ginger was getting on the Joker's nerves, and he was going to have to let it out soon, one way or another. But not until he began planting a few seeds.

"Oh trust me, I've _seen_ the place," the Joker said. "But you have spells that can control other people's _minds_, and you're telling me you need identification?"

"And you think we can just fool a room full of goblins who are also capable of magic?" Hermione crossed her arms.

Harry and Ron shared Hermione's sentiments. It was much easier for muggles to assume that with magic, anything was possible. Except it wasn't the case when the other side was capable of doing magic, too.

The Joker took a step towards Hermione, and Ron whipped out his wand in reaction.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ron said angrily.

Hermione glared back at him. Ron's reaction was completely unnecessary. Before she would have found his protective attitude endearing, but now it was only irritating. She had taken care of herself these past few months. She didn't need anyone else and certainly not an overbearing boyfriend overreacting at every other male. And he wasn't her boyfriend.

"Stop it Ron," Hermione snapped.

Ron began bickering with Hermione. The Joker ignored them both and, leaning into Hermione, plucked a strand of hair from her jacket. It was long, black and curly.

"Now what's that stuff called? Polyjuice potion?" the Joker said as he waved the strand of hair.

* * *

><p>Scabior tapped his foot impatiently.<p>

The bloody witch had better give him the signal, and she had best do it sooner rather than later.

He couldn't believe he had actually agreed to steal that banshee's wand. It was a death sentence, almost as much as telling the Dark Lord about his failures. But the mudblood had somehow convinced him that she had a plan, and it would work.

It was all about distracting the nutter with Potter. Now capturing Potter, whether it was pretend or not, was an alluring thought. It brought back memories – recent ones – of the good old days when his only concern had been snatching up the next round of mudbloods.

Scabior kicked a branch bitterly. How that all had changed. He was walking on thin ice with the other Snatchers, who sensed something was off. This was the only way of redeeming himself, but then he had to put his life at risk by trying to take Bellatrix's wand.

Sure, Hermione had reassured him that this would prove his loyalty, while showing Hermione's true colors. She had even gone so far as to say that she and the Joker could take the blame for all that had happened, and that the Dark Lord would most definitely forgive him and then reward him for bringing in Potter. He would become the perfect spy.

It sounded all well and fine, but it was damn complicated, and Scabior had just rather actually capture and turn in Potter. There was too much that could go wrong.

But then that meant he couldn't have her, and she would have no one else to turn to but the bloody muggle. And that couldn't happen. Hell, Scabior would rather she end up with that Weasley boy. At least then he'd know that she was with someone who couldn't hurt her, except maybe with his stupidity. The point was, the ginger didn't have any intentions of hurting her. That freak though was not to be trusted, and Scabior couldn't understand why Hermione fell for his tricks. She was supposed to be smart.

"Why're you always sneaking off," a voice came from behind Scabior.

He nearly jumped, but somehow managed to maintain his composure and turn around.

It was Jackson, staring at him with those suspicious eyes. Of course. He had acted strangely in Diagon Alley, wanting to tag along with Scabior, for a reason. Jackson didn't trust him. And Scabior was too stupid to have not noticed Jackson tracking his every move.

"The hell are you on about," Scabior spat. Better play pissed off than dumb. The ones telling the truth always got angry.

"I've been watchin' you Scabior," Jackson smirked. His eyes flickered to Scabior's pocket. "Been playin' with that Galleon o' yours. Where'd you go off to earlier?"

Communicating through fake Galleons was common knowledge. All the Snatchers did it. But Jackson could tell that Scabior wasn't communicating with his crew.

"What's it to you," Scabior said coldly. "Thought I heard someone, and I went to go investigate."

Jackson didn't buy his excuse.

"So you Disapparated?" Jackson's grin widened. "You've been acting awfully strange ever since I saw you at that bookshop. You say your crew's out having a good time before the next hunt, but no one's seen them. They're always back by now. So what have you been up to?"

"None of your bloody business," Scabior scowled. He reached into his pocket for his wand.

"Ah, wouldn't do that if I were you," Jackson said, his wand trained on Scabior.

Scabior's scowl deepened. What did Jackson have planned?

And then he saw the blinking red light in the tree behind Jackson. If it weren't for that, Scabior wouldn't have noticed the camouflaged duffle bags. What were they? It didn't take long for him to guess.

"Don't be daft Jackson," Scabior said quickly. "Look out behind you, you have to-"

"Oh come on Scabior, you can do better than that," Jackson laughed. "Tryin' your Snatcher tactics on a Snatcher such as myself?"

Scabior seethed both inwardly and outwardly. He should have known that bloody muggle still had it out for him. After all, Scabior had been plotting his own ways of killing him. And somehow he had gotten to Scabior first. He had won.

Scabior ignored Jackson and reached for his wand, but it was too late.

Scabior's last bitter thought was of how he had remained true to Hermione until the end.

An explosion larger than anything Scabior had experienced in Gotham sent pieces of Jackson flying around him. The entire sky lit up, and the sound was deafening. The tents turned into ashes, and flesh, bone and blood soiled the forest floor.

* * *

><p>Everyone jumped at the sound of the explosion except for the Joker, who began laughing while holding the detonator in his right hand. Chaos was ensuing, and it felt <em>great<em>.

"What the bloody hell was that!" Ron asked, alarmed. He was the only one who didn't recognize the sound and feeling.

Harry, however, was still quite confused. Why would there be any bombs in the middle of the Forest of Dean? And then it dawned on him. The only muggle around was Hermione's friend Jack. And this was the guy who had supposedly single-handedly killed the crew of Snatchers that had been hunting Hermione.

He came to the conclusion the same time Hermione realized what had just happened.

"What did you do!" Hermione shrieked, turning to the Joker.

But she already knew what he had done. And she had enabled him to do it. Hermione had thought that those bombs would come in handy if they ever needed to escape. She certainly had not expected him to detonate them now. And he was supposed to have warned her. So why did he do it now?

And then she remembered that Scabior had gone back to camp. Of course. The Joker had never truly given up on killing the Head Snatcher and the rest of the lot.

"Scabior-" Hermione gasped.

The Joker's eyes flashed dangerously. Why should she care about that loser? He needed to _remind_ her, her and her friends, of what he did.

"…murdered your friends and tormented you," the Joker finished for her. And then, to set everything in motion, "What, you're not _fawning_ over your ex-boyfriend, are you?"

"Ex-boyfriend?" Ron said angrily. "What's he talking about 'Mione?"

"Yeah, what do you mean?" Harry asked suspiciously.

It was strange that this man had somehow rigged bombs around the Snatchers' camp, and his laugh was creepy, but those weren't the issues at hand. It didn't make sense to Harry that Hermione would shout out the name of the Snatcher leader. She had convinced him that she wasn't a Snatcher, but now he wasn't so sure. Why would she be worried about Scabior?

"He's not my ex-boyfriend, Ron. Don't be ridiculous," Hermione snapped. "He was going to help get us Bellatrix's wand."

"Help us?" Harry laughed harshly. "The Head Snatcher you mean? I thought you said you weren't working for them!"

"I wasn't working _for_ him Harry, I was working _with_ him," Hermione said defensively.

"How could you work with that man?" Ron said disgustedly. "He's tortured and killed our friends!"

"You don't think I know that?" Hermione shot back. "I didn't have a choice! All I knew was that I had a chance to escape, to go anywhere I wanted, and I chose to come back here to help you defeat You-Know-Who. Instead, you treat me like a criminal, and even though you're supposed to be my best friends, you don't know me at all!"

"Apparently not," Harry said flatly. "The Hermione I knew had better morals than that."

At that, Hermione let out a scream of fury unlike anything they had ever heard. Harry's words set Hermione off like no other. All this time she had been preserving her morals while trying to escape the Snatchers. If she had kept to her naïve ways, she wouldn't even be with Harry and Ron right now. In fact, Scabior was the only reason she was even able to get rid of the tracker on the back of her neck. And now she blamed herself for his death because she had helped the Joker hide those bombs.

To have Harry and Ron be mistrusting towards her was bad enough. To have them accuse her of not having morals was unbearable.

"Morals? You want to talk about morals? Let me give you a lesson, since you've both a bit out of the loop," Hermione said, shaking from anger. "Those '_friends_' of ours tried to kill me left and right. Remember Justin? He was the first. And instead of fighting back, I became really good at running away. And that was my life. Hiding and running. Until one day I decided I wanted to do more, and _he_ came along."

Hermione pointed to the Joker, who looked up in mock surprise. He had been expecting a rant like this. And she was kind of hot when she was mad.

Hermione hated the Joker at this moment, but she had to get it all out.

"He set me free, but I wanted to come back and help you all," Hermione continued. "It wasn't that easy. Scabior was the only one who could remove the tracer on me, the mark that all of us had on the back of our necks. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here. I know he was a lousy person, but people can change, and it didn't do me any harm in working with him!"

Hermione was furious with the Joker for killing Scabior, but she knew she was at fault for trusting him. He had betrayed her before. And it was always one of those things where some good came out of it, so it wasn't easy to cut her ties with him. It wasn't simple enough to turn away from the Joker because he was still quite effective, albeit unpredictable. Harry and Ron were experiencing it now – they saw the strange and erratic behavior, but they were also glad that the Snatchers were dead.

The Joker knew Hermione was conflicted, and so he knew that while she was upset, his plan would work. For him, it was as if he had found a cure for the itch. His new surroundings were refreshing, but as of late he felt restricted; he was dealing with people he normally immediately killed off. It was exhilarating to let out some steam. And killing people was the best way. Plus, he didn't have to deal with that moron anymore. That was one suitor down. Two birds, one stone. Well, lots of birds and lots of bombs.

Hermione's speech was a lot for Harry and Ron to digest. They, too, had ambiguous feelings. On the one hand, they were defensive, as boys usually are. But on the other hand, they felt ashamed, which meant that deep down they realized they had wronged Hermione. All this time, they hadn't bothered empathizing with her to understand what she had really been through.

Before Harry and Ron could reply, though, the Joker stepped forward.

"Why are we all upset about a _dead_ guy? Hmm?" the Joker looked at all of them. "If you were ah-paying attention, you'd notice I created a _diversion_. The Snatchers – they're _gone_. So who will come next? Hmm? That's right, the Death Eaters. You wanna know when we should go rob that bank?"

The Joker paused.

"_Now_."

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry, it had to happen! Review? Hehe.

**lilly**: Thanks!


	8. The Trickster

The guilt and shock of Scabior's death had not even begun to sink in, and the Joker wanted to rob Gringotts? That was already an impossible task in and of itself; to entertain the idea would require at least several weeks of planning. Not to mention it was already dark outside.

"You can't be serious," Hermione said to the Joker, horrified.

She wanted to slap him in the face, to scream at him for what he did. She was determined to teach him a lesson, but even now she could tell that what he said made sense – the explosion was just the diversion they needed. The Death Eaters were preoccupied, which meant Gringotts would most likely not be heavily guarded. Yet she couldn't bring herself to admit it because it would mean she approved of what the Joker had done. And that was not true.

"What's your plan?" Ron asked suspiciously.

Though Ron didn't dislike the Joker any less, he wanted to capitalize on this opportunity. He was tired of traveling at a slow pace. The last proper mission they had gone on had been at the Ministry of Magic, and Hermione had been a crucial part of that. Ever since then, there had only been mishaps, like in Godric's Hollow, and monotonous days.

Ron didn't feel bad at all for the men the Joker had killed and that included Scabior. In fact, though Ron was not capable of killing himself, as he proved in the coffee shop where they had overtaken two Death Eaters following them, he approved of the Joker's actions. After all, the Death Eaters had no qualms in killing them. This way there were fewer enemies to deal with. And the explosion had taken out a lot of enemies. Ron was fired up and ready to go.

Harry, too, felt like this was as good of a time as any. He and Ron had been bored out of their mind for these past few months, suffering from cabin fever. Now that Hermione was back, they had already destroyed a Horcrux. And while he did not particularly like or trust her friend, Harry could see how he was useful. If he had been able to free Hermione, maybe he could help free them, too.

"Do I look like a guy with a plan?" the Joker licked his lips. He gestured at Hermione. "Take that potion. You two - disguise yourselves."

"I can do better than that," Harry pulled out his Invisibility Cloak and gave the Joker a demonstration.

"We-ll _then_ where's the challenge?" the Joker snorted.

In the end, Hermione only ended up disguising the Joker, since the goblins had seen him recently. She gave him a moustache and beard that matched his natural ashy blonde hair color. The Joker had been adamant about keeping his hair the same length, even though Hermione assured him she could change it back.

When they arrived in Diagon Alley, Hermione saw that the Joker was right. She didn't think it possible, but Diagon Alley was even emptier than usual. There were no Snatchers or Death Eaters in sight. It made her job much easier – she didn't have to worry about running into any of Bellatrix's comrades.

As for Harry and Ron, they hadn't been to Diagon Alley since the Death Eaters had taken over. They felt the same shock Hermione had initially experienced; they could hardly recognize the place. This was a bleak, empty town, nothing like the Diagon Alley they knew. And, like Hermione, Harry and Ron felt the urge to visit Fred and George in their shop. The last time they had seen the twins had been at Fleur and Bill's wedding a lifetime ago.

"Bloody hell," Ron's jaw dropped upon seeing the homeless wizards and boarded up shops.

Harry nodded grimly in return. Voldemort had turned the world into a bleak and dark place. He could only imagine how much worse it would get if he didn't stop Voldemort. Would Ron's family be out on the streets? His burden suddenly felt heavier.

When they arrived at Gringotts, the Joker was pleased to see that, unlike the last time they had visited, there were no guards outside. It told him that this Voldemort fellow didn't have _that_ large of an army if he was sending these men to the Snatcher site. Of course, he probably had had quite a few henchmen before the Joker had blown up the Snatchers. They were a dime a dozen though.

"No probity probes," Hermione whispered in excitement.

Harry and Ron weren't familiar with the new security, but the Joker understood what she meant. He nodded knowingly at her. Hermione scowled back. The Joker was acting as if he had done nothing wrong. Of course, he didn't care.

The scowl certainly completed Bellatrix's looks, and the goblins didn't notice anything amiss. Half an hour before, the Death Eater guards outside the front doors had Disapparated quite suddenly. The goblins were familiar with the Dark Mark, so they knew at once that the guards had been summoned. No one saw fit to tell them what was going on, though. It was typical wizarding arrogance. The goblins were supposed to guard all of their wealth, which in and of itself was a joke, and receive no information.

The Joker scanned the front lobby area. There was no one else but them and the goblins. Good.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentle-_men_," the Joker announced. They had the goblins' full and undivided attention. "I'm sure you have noticed the ah-untimely departure of our men. Well we are here to announce that your services are no longer needed."

The goblins stared back silently.

The Joker smacked his lips and waved his hands irritably.

"You uh know what that means? Get out. Now," the Joker said.

Their eyes flickered to Hermione. They recognized Bellatrix, and many feared her. It was her time to shine. Thinking ill thoughts of the Joker, Hermione put on her deepest scowl.

"Several of your filthy kind are responsible for sabotaging the Snatcher camp," Hermione, disguised as Bellatrix, spat. "Did you think that just because we allow you to continue your servitude that you could deceive us? The Dark Lord wants all of you gone. You are clearly not to be trusted. If you'd like to stay for questioning, however…"

Hermione trailed off ominously, and several of the goblins looked uneasy. But they weren't ready to leave.

"We no nothing of what you speak," one goblin spoke up.

"Well then, the Dark Lord should have an easy time with you when he arrives," Hermione said, mimicking Bellatrix's teasing tone.

"And what is to become of Gringotts?" another goblin asked.

Hermione was probably one of the only students at Hogwarts to have not only paid attention in Professor Binns's class, but to have also found goblin history fascinating. As such, she knew exactly what to say to push them over the edge.

"We will run it of course," she said as arrogantly as possible. "What – did you think that there was anything _your_ pathetic kind could do that we could not? We have no need of you goblins."

Several goblins began murmuring in dissent, and others narrowed their eyes ominously. Gringotts belonged to gobins, not wizards. In fact, for over a century goblins had owned and run the bank. It was only up until recently, specifically when Voldemort had taken over, that the Ministry had taken control of Gringotts. Many goblins had left then; they refused to serve a wizard master. The dedicated ones, the goblins who cared more about Gringotts than this war, had stayed behind.

But now upon hearing Bellatrix's arrogance – how dare the wizards think they could walk in and take over Gringotts! They acted as if running Gringotts required no effort at all. With the exception of a few, like Bill Weasley, who had bothered to learn the goblins' ways, wizards were unfit to run Gringotts. All goblins knew that.

Except now even the dedicated goblins were ready to leave. One by one, they began trickling out the door. It didn't matter anymore that Gringotts was rightfully theirs. They were at the point where they would rather see Gringotts crumble than land in the hands of wizards. If their hard work went unnoticed, the wizards would surely notice it soon. The goblins wouldn't fight in this war, but their absence would undoubtedly cripple the wizarding economy. That was enough vengeance for them.

The four watched with masked glee as the goblins began leaving. Harry and Ron were sweating from anxiety, though they had to admit that Hermione imitated Bellatrix flawlessly. If they hadn't known it was Hermione, they would have believed her, too.

The Joker, of course, had known this would work all along. While Hermione read books, _he_ read people – okay, goblins. No history lesson needed.

"But you know we could use one of you to ah-help the _transition_," the Joker pointed to one of the goblins who had spoken up with the wand in his hand. To them, he looked like any other wizard.

"Why if you wizards are so capable, I am sure no such help is required," the goblin said coldly.

Harry quickly Imperiused the goblin. They would still need a goblin to enter Bellatrix's vault.

"The Dark Lord _insists_," Hermione said in the most dangerous tone she could muster.

"Then I happily acquiesce," the goblin said calmly.

The remaining goblins shot him a dirty look, disapproving of his obedient manner.

"We serve no wizard," one said rebelliously.

Hermione drew out her wand, though she had no intention of exacting punishment. Thankfully the rebellious one left quickly with the last few goblins.

She quickly began casting protective enchantments, and Harry and Ron did the same. They didn't know if and when the Death Eaters would return. Surely they would come back at some time. And once they saw an empty lobby, they would realize that something was wrong.

"That was bloody brilliant," Ron exclaimed to Hermione, not acknowledging the Joker. He was excited to be moving forward again, especially after the setbacks he and Harry had experienced. Already, this mission felt like a win.

Hermione was also elated, her guilt momentarily subsiding. But then she realized that even now the Joker was manipulating her. He hid his dark, murderous side, luring Hermione with his helpfulness. And though she knew this, she continued working with him. It was a lousy reason, but it was because she didn't feel like they could do it without him. After all, she had been unsuccessful in escaping in all the hunts before him.

But there was a lot more at stake. If the Joker was capable of killing Scabior when he knew full well that Hermione was working with him, what was to stop him from killing Harry or Ron? She had to be careful now more than ever. She wasn't ready to dump the Joker yet – deep down inside Hermione needed him. But she would be sure to stick with Harry and Ron, to never leave them alone with the Joker. Only she knew what he was capable of.

"That was a pretty good idea," Harry conceded to the Joker.

Though Harry was discovering the Joker's brilliance, he was beginning to see that he could pose as a risk, too. Simply put, now that Harry thought about it, he didn't know why the Joker was here. He didn't seem romantically tied to Hermione, and Harry knew Hermione would never be interested in a man like him, yet here he was helping them. On top of all of that, he was a muggle. Whenever they had some real free time, Harry would be sure to ask.

"Let's ah-_move on_," the Joker said impatiently. This was why he never worked with others. Well, it was why he never left any alive.

"Take us to the Lestranges vault," Harry ordered the complacent goblin.

They made their way to the familiar carts. The Joker had been looking forward to another ride. And they rode fast and far below, deep into the vaults. They went even further than Scabior's vault, as the Lestranges vault was one of the oldest. The fast, rickety ride felt amazing to the Joker, who whipped his long locks back and forth. Harry and Ron, on the other hand, were nauseous.

Hermione, who knew the most about Gringotts thanks to all the books she had read, was mostly preoccupied by what they would be facing. There were a number of protective enchantments that the Lestranges vault would undoubtedly have, and they had to be prepared for them.

"We will pass through the Thief's Downfall," the goblin replied to Hermione in the distant tone common to those under the Imperius curse. "All concealments and enchantments will be washed away, and our cart shall derail and crash."

"What?" Ron yelled from behind Hermione. "We're going to crash?"

The Joker rolled his eyes. Weak _and_ stupid. If he didn't know any better, the Joker would think that ginger wasn't capable of magic at all.

"Obviously we'll be okay now that we know what to anticipate!" Hermione shouted back, mirroring the Joker's thoughts. "Harry, you'll have to re-cast the Imperius curse when we pass through!"

"Everything in the Lestranges vault is also cursed with Geminio and Flagrante," the goblin continued. "Anything you touch will burn and replicate until you are buried and burned."

Ron groaned, burying his head. He would bet anything that the Lestranges vault would be far from empty. With the four of them, this wouldn't be easy.

"It's fine, just remember not to touch anything!" Harry shouted.

That was fine with the Joker. He didn't care for material items, though he'd make an exception for something here. And from the sound of it, things were about to get even more interesting.

"There's the Thief's Downfall! Straight ahead!" Hermione alerted everyone. "Brace yourselves – I'm going to cast a Cushioning Charm!"

A few moments later, the four of them were hurled out of the carts and sent flying in the air. If it weren't for Hermione's Cushioning Charm, they would have surely fallen to their deaths. Thankfully the landing was soft, though the fall was quite scary; the Joker of course laughed the entire way down. Hermione could feel her features morph back. The Joker, whose facial hair disappeared, watched amusedly as she changed back from Bellatrix to herself, and Harry quickly Imperiused the goblin again.

"He's mental," Ron muttered, glaring at the Joker darkly.

The Joker didn't hear Ron's comment, distracted momentarily by what was in front of them. It was a _dragon_. Hmm. So they did exist. He supposed that's how he would have imagined them to look like. He wondered how dangerous dragons were, and if bullets could pierce those scales.

This dragon was old, however, and half-blind; one of its eyes was a cloudy grey.

"Um, Harry," Hermione said nervously at the sight of the dragon.

"Oh right," Harry said. After facing a Hungarian Horntail in the Triwzard tournament, Harry didn't find this dragon that threatening. Nevertheless, it was definitely capable of killing all of them.

Under Harry's Imperius curse, the goblin reached into the cart and retrieved a bag. He pulled out a number of small metal instruments that when shaken made a loud ringing noise like miniature hammers on anvils.

"Ow! What are those for?" Harry winced, covering his ears.

"Bill told me about these," Ron explained. "They're Clankers. The dragons are punished each time the goblins shake the Clankers. It's their way of training the dragons to flee at the sound of the Clankers because they associate it with pain."

"That's awful," Hermione gasped.

Harry sighed.

"We'll worry about dragons' rights later," Harry said grimly. "Right now let's focus on finding a Horcrux."

* * *

><p>It had been a long day.<p>

Travers was on the way to Gringotts when he had received the signal to head to the Snatcher camp in the Forest of Dean. He had considered ignoring it, since he, like the other Death Eaters, cared little for Snatchers, but there was always the off chance that the Dark Lord was there. And it really wasn't worth risking a quick trip to Gringotts for death.

Well the Dark Lord had been there all right, as well as every other Death Eater. And while Travers was not that familiar with the Snatcher camp, he knew that it was supposed to be first and foremost a camp. Except there were no tents in sight. Instead, remains of fallen trees littered the ground, and the ground was dark red. That wasn't a good sign. And when Travers examined the ground closely, he had noticed body parts here and there.

Like everyone else, Travers hadn't the faintest clue who was responsible. He was one of the last ones to arrive, and once the Dark Lord realized nobody knew anything, he was swiftly sent away again.

So Travers had Apparated back to Gringotts, only to find the two guards scampering around outside like idiots.

"Gernot, Sebastian," Travers called out to the guards. "What's going on?"

"Travers," Gernot said with relief. "We can't get inside. Someone's set up wards."

"What?" Travers asked in disbelief.

What was going on today? The world seemed to not want to let him into his vault.

And then something clicked in his mind. Putting two and two together, Travers realized that this might be the very same group who had demolished the Snatcher camp. After all, that would have been the perfect diversion.

Well if this was the same group who had slaughtered all those Snatchers, Travers wasn't going in alone. He pulled back his sleeve and called his comrades.

* * *

><p>Just as Ron had predicted, once the goblin shook the Clankers, the dragon roared and retreated, its heavy footsteps shaking the floor. The Joker noted that, like all animals, dragons were stupid, too.<p>

The goblin placed his palm on the large, metal door, and it creaked open.

"Okay remember, we're looking for the Hufflepuff cup or something with Ravenclaw's emblem or colors," Harry said. "The cup's small and gold, it's got a badger engraved on it, two handles."

"And don't touch anything," Hermione reminded everyone.

That was easier said than done.

The vault was much too full and it was impossible to avoid bumping into any of the treasure. Hermione yelped in pain as her ankle grazed a pile of coins. Copies burst out and Hermione moved back to avoid them, but they burned her nevertheless.

The others began stumbling into treasure, too. Before they knew it, the contents began multiplying exponentially and the heat rose with them. Stuck inside the vault, the treasure burned their skin every time a piece of gold touched them.

"Bloody hell!" Ron cursed, blocking his face with his arms as jewels flew at him only to burst into more.

The Joker let out whoops of laughter, watching with amusement as the treasure grew and danced around him. It was unreal. Banks in Gotham didn't carry any real wealth. It was all paper money, like Monopoly. That could be burned, but this…this burned _them_.

For a brief moment, Hermione thought what if she was wrong about the Horcrux being in here, and that they should die buried under searing hot treasure. And then Harry called out.

"I see it! I see the cup!" Harry yelled. He pointed to the corner of a tall, white shelf and there it was. The Joker and Ron spotted it, too. "I can't reach it though!"

"I'll levitate you!" Hermione shouted back.

She silently cast the Levicorpus spell, and Harry snagged the Cup with his sleeve, hoping it wouldn't trigger the curses. He winced in anticipation, but the Cup thankfully did not multiply.

"Let's get out of here!" Ron yelled, and for once the Joker agreed. It was getting _hot_.

The four slid down the treasure avalanche, which grew beneath them and scorched their skin.

Once outside the vault, everyone was on their knees panting, except for the Joker. Harry was ready to destroy the Horcrux then and there, and Hermione wanted desperately to treat their burns with Essence of Dittany, but to their dismay they could hear commotion from afar, the sound of yelling voices coming nearer and nearer. It appeared that they were running out of time.

"What's going on?" Ron asked, alarmed. Everything seemed to have gone smoothly.

"The Death Eaters must have returned or else the goblins went to notify them," Harry replied, his heart sinking. He had hoped it would have taken longer to sort out everything in the Forest of Dean. The Joker's bombs may have been too effective. How were they to get out? He turned to the Joker. "Looks like your plan only got us inside."

The Joker sighed in irritation. He made a point not to work with idiots, but the exceptions he was making for this girl... He would eventually get rid of them, just as he'd taken care of Scabior.

"They're dumb, not _blind_," the Joker said dryly. Everyone knew that the fun was all in the e-_scape_.

Hermione nodded in agreement. Sooner or later someone would have realized that Gringotts was unmanned. Then it would only be a matter of time before they began checking the vaults to see if anything was missing. Knowing Bellatrix and Voldemort, they would have immediately checked the Lestranges vault. They would have realized then that the Horcrux was gone. At most they would have had a day's head start. With her experience in the hunts, Hermione knew how these plans generally went.

"I have an idea," Hermione said, staring at the dragon. It would serve two purposes at least.

"You don't mean..." Ron began, looking between Hermione and the dragon.

It was completely unlike her to suggest such a risky task. Ron didn't like how she had changed so much in the past few months, mostly because he felt like he barely knew her. Harry, on the other hand, liked Hermione's newfound resourcefulness. Feeling the most burden on this task of destroying the Horcruxes, Harry welcomed Hermione's help and, to a certain degree, her friend as well.

The Joker grinned at the dragon. He liked that idea. Oh yes, it was _much _more interesting robbing a wizarding bank.

The voices above them grew louder. They had to make a decision and fast. It seemed that only Ron was apprehensive about riding the dragon, but even he grunted in assent, knowing they had no other choice.

"I don't see any other alternatives," Harry said to Ron. He cast the Revulsion Jinx, and the metal chain released the dragon. "Let's get on - now!"

Harry didn't need to say it twice. The four jumped onto the dragon's back, which wasn't too difficult as the dragon had yet to notice its freedom.

With that, Hermione began using the Defodio spell to enlarge the passageway for the dragon. Harry and Ron copied Hermione, and the Joker tossed a few grenades. The walls and floor crumbled around them, and the noise from the explosion alerted the dragon, who finally realized it was free. It thrashed its tail violently, pulverizing columns to the ground. With their help, the dragon managed to spread its wings, roaring and spitting out fire.

The Joker laughed in his high-pitched tone, basking in the adrenaline rush. This had turned out a _lot_ better than he had imagined.

Soon they could see figures coming down in carts. They certainly weren't goblins, which meant the Death Eaters had returned. That complicated matters.

Harry, Ron and Hermione hurled Stunning Spells and curses at the oncoming Death Eaters to hold them off. Meanwhile, the Joker shot at the Death Eaters with his automatic rifle. That seemed to surprise several of them, who cried out in pain and ducked in their carts.

The dragon still hadn't taken off yet; Hermione switched back to digging around them while the others fought on, so the dragon would have room to fly.

The Death Eaters were close - far too close; their carts had come to a stop, but they were still in them in fear of the Joker's bullets. Hermione knew that they would soon figure out that a Shield charm was all it took to protect themselves. In the meantime, their bleeding comrades undoubtedly kept them occupied.

And then the dragon started to beat its wings. It breathed fire in triumph, happy for its freedom and angry at all those around who had imprisoned him, another reason why the Death Eaters remained in their carts with their Shields surrounding them.

"We're flying! We're flying!" Ron shouted, his eyes wide in amazement. It was his first time on a dragon, and because of his love for Quidditch, this was a ride of his life.

The Joker was already whipping his head back and forth while simultaneously spraying bullets at the Death Eaters below them. Harry, too, was cheering. On the other hand, if it weren't for their enemies below, Hermione would have passed out already, as she hated flying. Even at the beginning of the last hunt, she had been very reluctant to pick up the broom she had found in the forest. She had a fear for heights and especially when she had no control over where she went, which was exactly their present situation. So she forced herself to focus on clearing the way for the dragon, as well as shooting the occasional curse down at the Death Eaters, who were growing smaller and smaller in their vision.

"We did it!" Harry yelled, letting out a whoop.

They flew higher and higher until they were in the front lobby again. The sound and sight of a dragon crashing through the front lobby sent the few Death Eaters that were waiting running, but they shot curses behind them. The Joker rolled out a few more grenades in response, while Harry, Ron and Hermione destroyed the roof above them. The dragon clawed up the walls to the ceiling and, through the opening the three had created, took off into the black sky.

It was too dark to see the people in Diagon Alley, but then, as if their exit wasn't dramatic enough, they watched as the Joker's grenades went off. The sky lit up with red and orange, and for a brief moment they could see the shocked faces below. Every single one of them hoped that the Death Eaters did not manage to escape the explosion.

The Joker felt a rush of excitement at robbing a wizarding bank and utterly destroying it. _This_ was what he lived for - creating havoc. And in this world, there were simply so many more _possibilities_!

* * *

><p>Voldemort walked across the barren ground on which the Snatcher camp had resided, twirling his wand ominously. It had taken his followers an irritatingly long time for them to alert him. The two useless men who had discovered this mess were Snatchers themselves on their way back from Diagon Alley. Once they had found the bodies, they had gone straight back and told the first Death Eater what they saw.<p>

Of course his followers had been utterly useless in determining the cause of this destruction. It didn't seem like the work of those pathetic members of the Order of the Phoenix. No, they were not capable of mass murder.

So he needed to find a witness, and there was simply no one left alive. Even Voldemort could not retrieve memories from dead people.

_Master…such delicious bodies…I feast…I smell…I smell one still alive…_

At that, Voldemort snapped his head towards Nagini.

"_Show me where he is_," Voldemort responded in Parseltongue.

Nagini slithered along the dirt, stained dark red with the blood of hundreds of Snatchers, as Voldemort followed.

Nagini stopped before a man lying facedown on the ground. His clothes were soaked in blood, his ponytail a matted mess. It wasn't clear what color his hair was. If it weren't for Nagini, Voldemort would not have even noticed that this man was alive. He was unconscious, and for all intents and purposes, appeared dead. With a flick of his wand, Voldemort flipped the man onto his back, brushing away the hair. Scars littered the man's face, rendering him utterly unrecognizable.

Voldemort sighed irritably. It would require some amount of healing before this man could answer his questions. However, even unconscious, Voldemort could enter his mind. It would be difficult to find anything useful; it was impossible to retrieve reliable information from the unconscious mind. Most likely he would view dreams. Nevertheless, it was the only choice he had.

"_Legilimens_," Voldemort hissed.

Immediately he was bombarded with images of a girl with bushy brown hair – Potter's mudblood friend. That meant this was a Snatcher who had been hunting her…

Was it Scabior or one of his men then? His face was so scarred it was difficult to tell. Surely it must be him.

There were also many images of a strange man with stringy, green hair and scars around the mouth. His face was painted white, and his eyes black. Was this another Snatcher? He certainly did not look familiar.

Before Voldemort could delve deeper into Scabior's mind, he felt himself being summoned by one of his men. Travers. He had specifically told his followers not to summon him unless they had Potter, which meant he either had Potter or a death wish. Capturing Potter was a higher priority, however, and Voldemort could always question Scabior later.

After performing a few necessary Healing spells so that Scabior did not bleed out, Voldemort Disapparated with his limp body.

Voldemort arrived in Gringotts to find a hysterical Travers and several other men of his bowing before him. He immediately noticed that the roof had been destroyed, and that, besides his men, the lobby was empty. Where were those ugly goblins?

"My Lord…I…they…I saw him, I did," Travers stammered uselessly.

Voldemort wanted to kill the man right then and there. It was so obvious that there had been a break-in, but what had been stolen? Voldemort could feel his pace quicken. Nothing threw off his rhythm, but if someone were to have found his Horcrux… No, that was impossible. No one knew his secret. But it was better to be safe than sorry.

Voldemort could tell that Travers, in his state, would not be able to answer his questions sufficiently. Instead, he used Legilimency again. It was easier than trying to communicate with such fools.

Through Travers's eyes, Voldemort watched with fury as his men arrived in front on the Lestranges vault. No, this could not be…

And then he witnessed Potter escaped on the back of a dragon with the Weasley boy, the mudblood who had somehow reunited with them, and…

The man with the scars.

* * *

><p>AN: Review?

**KatieMarrie** - Thank you! I knew it was ambitious to do a crossover, so I am very glad that you think it's blended well. That has been the greatest difficulty thus far!


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